


The Ivory Brotherhood

by PotatoBastard



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AklirimTale AU, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Horrortale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Swapfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Beware Egg the Forbidden, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Goliath parents are best parents, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I made this world a DnD campaign lol, It is not a UT fic without puns, Multi, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Red's presence upgraded this fic to M, References to Undertale Genocide Route, Sans (Undertale) Makes Puns, Timelines, more skelebois in future chapters, officer oblivious reader, reader is badass but too kind to show it, we miss you Paps, will add more tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:55:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 161,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23368813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotatoBastard/pseuds/PotatoBastard
Summary: Your parents were always cold to you.Yes, they bought you a smartphone when you turned 12 just to be able to know your location at any moment.You were starving.Not for food.You were starving for affection.So when you heard your parents say they were going to sell you, you did what seemed the wisest at the moment.You climbed Mt. Ebott, a place no one would look for you.And you fell.What you didn't expect was to fall and find yourself in a fantasy world full of magic, deities and dragons.Oh, and skeletons.
Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 236
Kudos: 312





	1. It's a beautiful day

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Dungeons and Dorks](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20811626) by [LostImmortality](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostImmortality/pseuds/LostImmortality). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case...
> 
> **TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR MENTIONS OF CHILD ABUSE AHEAD**
> 
> This work was inspired by @LostImmortality fic Dungeons and Dorks.
> 
> Please make sure to check it out along with the drawings made of the skelebois.
> 
> THEY ARE AWESOME!

The sound of a phone ringing made you open your eyes.

"Ughhh..." you groan while turning on your bed. You reach out your arm and check your phone.

Once again, your phone doesn't turn on, just like the past 10 years.

You sit up and look out the window, the sun is barely visible over the mountains. The warmth of his light spreads across the sky and for a moment you rest your gaze over the fluffy clouds. You admire how azure, rose, and golden paint strokes over them.

Smiling, you get out of your bed with a jump and march towards the shower. You have been an early riser for years but today was a special morning.

Today was the 10th anniversary of when you arrived in this world.

You turn your head up, eyes closed and feel the shower raining on your face. It is warmth.

And just like every year, you allow yourself to think for a moment about the events that lead you here.

* * *

_"Mommy! Look! There is a pretty flower growing in our porch!" you exclaimed in awe at such a beautiful event._

_You were 4 years old. Seeing a flower grow in the middle of the concrete-filled your heart with kindness._

_A huff came from behind you, and you felt your mother crouch behind you. You never liked when she made that sound._

_With a soft snapping sound, your mom plucked the poor flower out._

_"Useless weed." Getting up she glared at you, commanding you to get up just with her eyes. And you obeyed._

_She opened the door and you entered the house._

* * *

You turned around and grabbed your shampoo. It was your favorite, made by your own hands. The calming smell of chamomile flowers and the sweet scent of honey overwhelmed your senses.

You started rubbing the bar in your hair, massaging your scalp with your fingers in small circles.

* * *

_When you were 10 years old you knew something was wrong._

_Your parents didn't allow you to play with other kids._

_Your parents were always at home, your mom went out during the night in heavy clothing and took hours to return._

_Your dad had a dopey smile and a lost gaze._

_When you were 10, you heard your father's voice for the first time since you remembered._

_"Y/N," his voice sounded so fragile, distant as if his thoughts were in another place "be a dear and help daddy turn on the TV."_

_You looked at him, tilting your head in confusion. He had the controller in his hand._

_And so you pointed that out._

_He turned towards you, and his dopey smile was gone. His eyes were dry and wide. Why were they so red if he wasn't crying?_

_"I told you to turn the fucking TV ON!" His voice was hoarse._

_You never moved so fast in your life._

_The TV was ON._

_You turned around and ran to your room._

_You heard him call you a pest._

_You didn't hear him wish you were gone._

* * *

Finally clean, you decided to fill the bathtub with water, ready to continue your yearly ritual.

Ready to be clean from those memories for at least another year.

* * *

_It was finally your 12th birthday._

_You never had a birthday gift._

_This year was different._

_Every kid got a smartphone and you were extremely happy to get one._

_Maybe you could finally make some friends._

_Or even visit the candy store everyone at school talked about._

_So you did it. You went to the candy store._

_You arrived home exactly 12 minutes later._

_And your parents KNEW._

_They were tracking you. The idea of them knowing where you were all the time made you uncomfortable._

_But you would keep the phone._

_It was the first gift they made you and the first time they showed kindness to you._

_But that didn't matter to them._

_Your mom opened a little trapdoor in your backyard, she grabbed your arm and pulled you inside._

_And using the same door she pushed you inside so you were crouching in the tiny space._

_"You better know your place. I didn't bring you into this world to disobey me, little shit." You heard something move on top of the trapdoor and the sound of steps getting farther away._

_In the position you were in, it was impossible to move. The pressure of your knees against your chest made breathing a difficult task and shouting nearly impossible._

_You wondered if this is how getting buried felt._

_You shivered and cried at the thought, choking on your saliva and tears._

_By the time the trapdoor opened, your mom was wearing her heavy clothing and the stars and the moon were high up in the sky, shining down on both of you._

_"If you disobey the rules, I will lock you there again" she pulled on your arm and you stumbled out of your tiny prison, legs unresponsive, your blood slowly returning to them._

_"Be grateful I am not like other parents that hit their children."_

_And you felt grateful for that._

* * *

You stepped out of the bathtub and started drying your body with a towel. You looked over at your reflection in the mirror, the person that stared back was you.

* * *

_It was 3 days before your 15th birthday when you heard your parents talk._

_Your parents were shouting, their voices mixing over the pandemonium of insults and hatred._

_You just arrived from school and knew better, so you headed right towards your room._

_As soon as your foot touched the first step of the stairs, the voices came to a stop, and you heard their whispers._

_"He will want his money" your mother hissed._

_"Well, give it to him, deary" and your father answered with his dopey saccharine tone._

_"You fucking idiot! You took my delivery. You had to get all smacked and..." she huffed._

_You needed to stop listening._

_"Deary," you were paralyzed right in your spot "sell the child."_

_"W-what?"_

_"Why do we even have her around? We never wanted to be parents, if it wasn't for her we would be elsewhere."_

_He paused and the rustle of sounds could be heard._

_"Just you and me, while she makes herself useful and we getaway."_

_You breathed in deeply, you were shaking. And you started making your way upstairs one step at a time._

_Slowly._

_Silent._

_And you closed the room of your door behind you._

_Your mind was rushing and only one thought was coursing through it._

_Run._

_You emptied your backpack, and shoved inside a small notebook, a pen, a flashlight, a couple of clothes your charger, and turned off your phone._

_You changed into the comfiest and warmest clothes you had._

_You were running away._

_But running away... where exactly?_

_You had nowhere to go._

_No friends._

_No family._

_..._

_Mount Ebott._

_The legends about it always ended the same way._

_The main character never returned from it._

_..._

_Were you going to do this?_

_Yes, you were._

* * *

You smiled at your reflection and twirled around in your new clothes.

You were proud of the person staring you back.

* * *

_After hours, at nighttime, the mountain air was cold._

_But you never felt so alive._

_You disobeyed your parents and no trapdoor could reach you now._

_You ran away._

_And it made you feel._

_Alone._

_You had no one else in your life but your parents._

_But were they there for you?_

_Your tear-filled eyes blurred your vision, and you didn't see the vine that came from the ground._

_So you tripped over it._

_You hit your head against a rock._

_And started falling._

_The moon and the stars high in the sky getting even more out of your touch._

_"Oh..." was all you said._

_You realized you were starving._

_No, you weren't hungry._

_You were starving for love._

* * *

_"_ Y/N! Pixie!" Three knocks on the bathroom door were made. "My dear baby, are you done with your bath?"

"Oh. Uhhh... yes! Just give me a second!" You turned around and unlocked the door, opening it and looking up.

"Oh my... EGGATH! COME HERE THIS INSTANT!" the giantess shouted looking back. She looked at you, her bright eyes sparkling, and she held out one of her hands.

You didn't hesitate to take it.

The fast and firm steps called your attention and you turned towards the source.

An even bigger person made his way towards you. 

"Manthe, there is no need to shout. You know I can hear you from the other side of the house." The giant said.

"Oh, hush, Truthheart. Look at our, Pixie" she motioned with her head for him to look at you. Manthe twirling you around swift and careful by the hand.

You heard a sob that made you open your eyes. You didn't notice when you closed them, but it didn't matter, you turned towards the giant.

"M- My baby is all grooown and beautifuuul."

With your free hand, you reached out and grabbed his.

You pulled both hands towards your face.

The Goliath couple looked at you.

You kissed both of their hands.

You weren't starving anymore.

* * *

_Something fell on top of you. A bit landing in your face._

_You heard a woman sobbing._

_You felt the smell of dirt around you, over you, landing in your face and covering your nose and mouth._

_You panicked._

_And you started moving, the dirt falling from over you._

_You didn't register the shriek over you._

_"EGGATH! BY MERXIS, SHE IS ALIVE!"_

_You felt something warm grab you from the waist, and pull you up._

_A statue was looking at you. Big with patterns that seemed made out of the darkest stone you have ever seen. His yellow eyes looking all over you, observing you, trying to find something._

_His stare focused on your forehead._

_His hand moving to clean your clothes, sweeping the dirt over you._

_You were scared. The statue was moving on its own, and you were so high up._

_A couple of arms snaked around your waist and held you like the most delicate and precious thing on Earth._

_"I am s-so happy you are okay," said the female holding you now._

_No, not holding you._

_Hugging you._

_And when you looked at her, you saw something you never knew, her gaze filled you with something special._

_"My name is Manthe, and this is my husband Eggath." She motioned with her head towards the other Goliath._

_"Sorry about the dirt" he apologized sheepishly._

_Huh._

_"So..."_

_You turned your gaze back to the earthy woman._

_"What is your name, little Pixie?"_

* * *

You were squished by the hug of your parents.

You loved getting squished by them.

So giggled, and kissed them both in their cheeks.

It has been 10 years since you arrived.

You live now in this world named Aklirim.

A place full of magic, adventurers, deities, and dragons.

You have been living under the care of the Masters, leaders of The Obsidian Dynasty of Merxis, the Insignificant. The territory of Goliaths.

Living at the Dynasty, you had to learn how to live amongst Goliaths. You were 157 cm tall, and everyone else towered you by at least 80 cm.

So you had to make double the effort and make yourself useful.

You learned about their story, their traditions, how to work sand and turn it into beautiful pieces, you trained with them and even though you were small, your kindness and integrity shined in your SOUL.

You were accepted and loved by who you were.

Even when you came upon a book about medicine.

You wanted to be an apothecary. 

But healers were looking down upon. 

Why?

For messing with the work of Souheth, the Death Herald. 

So you promised all of them to become a healer that wouldn't intervene in his work.

You swore to become the best apothecary and not to mess with life and death.

You will save as many people as you can.

And today is the day you tell your parents Manthe and Eggath that you will leave to pursue your dream.

Leaving after your 25th birthday in three days sounds like a good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Obsidian Dynasty of Merxis, the Insignificant.
> 
> This is the territory of Goliaths, named after their hero, Merxis, the Insignificant. 
> 
> Merxis was a gnome who wanted to be an adventurer!
> 
> But everyone thought gnomes were too weak to become adventurers and were better at arts.
> 
> So Merxis, in his anger and frustration, decided to prove his worth and swore he would become strong enough to defeat a horde of Goliaths.
> 
> Needless to say, he became the laughingstock of his town.
> 
> So he left and travelled, in his way he faced many dangers, pushed himself to the limits. His bones were broken and his muscles screamed in pain.
> 
> But he kept going.
> 
> He arrived at the land of Goliaths and saw this tiny creature screaming and challenging them.
> 
> So they decided to humour him.
> 
> It was a grave mistake.
> 
> Merxis, in his rage defeated each Goliath that crossed his path, destroying houses and changing the shape of the mountain itself.
> 
> Once he calmed down and realised what he did, he offered his help rebuilding to the Goliaths. What they asked in return was to train under him.
> 
> And so Merxis stayed, teaching the Goliaths the precision they needed to be better fighters through glassforming techniques, making the Goliaths masters of this art and their main trade resource.
> 
> Earning the respect he truly wanted after his adventures. Finally, he was at peace with himself.
> 
> And that's how The Obsidian Dynasty of Merxis, the Insignificant came to be what it is today.
> 
> * * *
> 
>  **Juggernaut barbarians are siege engines in their own right, able to stand their ground and move their foes into positions of weakness.**  
>    
> **While raging, they make any battlefield their domain, shoving foes over mountainsides and destroying even the strongest structures with their attacks.**
> 
> * * *
> 
> I hope you like this fic I am writing!  
> Please comment your ideas, theories, critics, if I made a spelling mistake (oh please tell me)
> 
> See you next week, or maybe sooner!
> 
> Laterz~


	2. Spooky Scary Skeletons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You decide to take a break, get some lunch, fish some skeletons out of the water.
> 
> You know...
> 
> The usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really miss my laptop, it was so much easier to write on it.
> 
> I was gonna wait until I got it repaired to start writing this fanfic, but after two arcs, planning 27 chapters, a timeline of the events and a whole bunch of lore, I couldn't resist writing this down.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it as much as I do writing it.

You open your (e/c) eyes slowly and reach out to turn off your phone's alarm.

It didn't make any sound, and you know it.

It didn't stop you from waking up at its sound.

You look at yourself in the screen's reflection while running a hand through your (h/c) bangs.

"Huh... all tangled again. I guess it is time to wash it again."

Looking around you, you can see, no, feel, how big and beautiful Aklirim is.

There are plenty of trees around you, not enough to make a forest. You hear the rustling of their leaves moving at the command of the summer breeze.

You get out of your bedroll and immediately stretch out.

* _ **CRACK***_

Nothing is more relaxing to you in the morning than the popping sound of joints after a good stretch. It helps to get you ready to move as soon as possible.

Taking a deep breath, you start your new morning routine. Putting on your belt, attach the brown pouch with your toiletries, the one with your crossbow's bolts, attach said crossbow to the belt or else how else are you supposed to attach if you have to.

For two weeks of traveling, you haven't encountered any dangers, and you didn't like the idea of hurting others.

You are an apothecary. A healer.

But you are aware the world could be dangerous. Your dad said so and you trust him.

* * *

_"No."_

_Well, you certainly didn't expect that answer._

_"Dad, I know you were gonna say-"_

_"No, you didn't. It is written all over your face, Pixie" your mom cuts you off. You are slightly surprised at the serious tone she had. You've never heard your parents being so serious._

_"Now, Truthheart, care to explain why aren't you supporting, respecting and hearing our child's decision?" Her usually soft features seemed to harden, it was an unusual sight for you. Even with her clay-colored body, the obsidian marks tracing her skin like smooth brushstrokes, you have never assimilated her to any word other than, soft._

_At least, now you were sure that you had her support._

_Looking at your hands over the table, all you could do is think and wait for him to say something._

_You just wish you can get your dad's support oo. You would be so upset if you left in bad terms with him because no matter what he said, you were going to leave in three days._

_Don't take it wrong, you loved your parents, you weren't being ungrateful. You couldn't thank your parents enough for all they've done for you, all the things they gave you._

_For all the love, cuddles, kisses, dances, training and all the other displays of affection, they gave you the past ten years._

_You just wanted to follow your dream, and be someone your parents could be proud of._

_You could understand your dad's apprehension at letting you leave. Healers of any kind weren't looked up to and people weren't the nicest when they knew your profession. They assumed you were someone trying to resurrect someone, create some immortality elixir or creating a freaking regenerative healing factor._

_You wouldn't have it easy outside._

_*SIGH*_

_You lifted your gaze, you looked at the blueish granite hand of your dad. He had it closed in a fist and it was twitching a bit._

_Was he mad? You have seen him angry before, but never felt that anger towards you._

_Now you didn't want to see your dad's face._

_But you had to._

_Your eyes followed the obsidian tattoos of his arm up to his shoulder, and you looked at his face, locking eyes with him._

_And by Merxis, what you saw in those eyes wasn't what you expected._

_"I don't want my little Pixie to go," he said. Making an effort to hold back his tears._

_"What are we supposed to do, Eggath? She is an adult, she has been making her own decisions for years" she held out her hands and both of you immediately took it._

_You may not have been biologically their child, you weren't even someone from this world._

_But if anyone could look at the three of you at that moment, they wouldn't be able to deny how much you looked like them._

_You squeezed your mom's hand one last time before getting up from your seat and going around the table to hug and cry along with your dad._

_Once the two of you felt a bit more composed, he pulled away and held your face with both of his hands, thumbs cleaning your face from the tears you were still shedding._

_"Promise to take care, okay Pixie? We will be waiting for news. Remember to visit us and that this will always be your home."_

_"I love you, Dad," you said with a smile and hugged him tightly._

_*COUGH COUGH*_

_"Yes, I love you too, mom."_

* * *

Smiling at the memory, attaching your bedroll to your backpack, you finally were ready.

You were going to wash yourself. Good hygiene was necessary to stay healthy. Luckily for you, one of the paths to the City of Tazziros was following Faehrin, the hallow river.

You had never seen clearest waters before arriving to Aklirim. 

Well, you never got the chance to see water... you don't even know the ocean yet, but there will be a chance for it for sure!

Making your merry way to the river, pot in hand, you extracted some water to start washing yourself.

There was no way you would enter the Faehrin and less wash yourself there. Even if your toiletries weren't harmful to their ecosystem, you still cared about it. You know what was to live in a polluted world.

After taking off your backpack, leather belt and having your crossbow ready to shoot and at hand's reach, you relaxed and took your sweet time washing, wet clothes sticking to your body like another layer of skin. What? You weren't going to get naked while you washed yourself. It took too much time to wash properly and the idea of someone attacking while you were in your birth clothing wasn't appealing.

After finishing, you dried yourself and changed into your adventuring gear quickly. You decided to leave the muddy spot you were standing on, wet clothes and towel in hand, and you walked along the river. Maybe you could spot a nice spot to set a fire for breakfa-

"Merxis, I have been blessed today." 

Right in front of you, just a couple of meters away meters you could see an apple tree, with bushes full of blueberries. 

Today, you were lucky. You could gather some fruits and not have to worry about food for a bit. You were a bit tired of only eating fish, but beggars can't be choosers.

You ran towards the tree, hanging the wet clothes in its branches to let them dry. Gathering the things needed for the fire wasn't hard, and starting it was a piece of cake thanks to the flint your dad gave you. You filled the pot with water, took off your backpack and turned around.

With your crossbow in hand and 3 special bolts, dad and you have prepared them before your departure.

The first two had different types of fishing lines, one for lighter and the other for heavier fish. The third bolt was one you asked your dad if it was possible to make.

And so you also had a grappling hook. It wasn't like the ones on TV shows, it was just a hook attached to a strong wire your dad got from the dwarves once.

_"You could pull a whale and that wire wouldn't cut,"_ he said.

You don't exactly need it for fishing, you just love the idea of a grappling hook! And the wire was so soft! You doubted it was as resistant as your dad said.

And so you loaded bolt n°1, tied the end of the line to the tree... and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"This is weird, fish don't take this long to appear. It is a flipping river!" you exclaimed, feeling yourself pout slightly.

You heard it... the sound of something huge in the river. 

With the expertise of years, you change to bolt n°3 and hold the rope with one hand, crossbow in the other. 

And you see someone a blue hooded person holding onto a tree branch as if their life depended on it.

And it certainly did.

You had to act fast, this person didn't see you because they did not attempt to shout for help so there was no way they could hold the wire of your grappling hook.

You needed it to get hooked in the branch.

So you pointed your crossbow in the opposite direction, pulled the trigger and let it fall to the ground.

To anyone watching, you were an idiot, the person was on the opposite side, how could you miss like that?

Well, the tree branch approached your hook and you pulled **hard** , praying that what your dad said about the wire was true.

The river current was fighting against you, your hook firmly gripping and piercing little by little the tree branch.

You only needed to stay firm and get near enough to pull this person out of the water.

With both hands you started pulling, pushing the ground with your legs, leaning back a little and taking small steps.

It was like tug wars back at the Dynasty. You could do this.

You had to save this person!

And with that thought and the last pull, you managed to get them out of the water.

You quickly approached and flipped them around.

And... well. You didn't expect this.

They were a skeleton.

A shivering, breathing skeleton.

You lifted them and brought them near the fire. They are unconscious but stable. Or at least you assume so. You don't know many things about the other people living in this world, you know the most about humans, goliaths, and tieflings.

The only thing you could do for now was let him use your bedroll and start cooking a good meal for both of you.

**Sans' POV**

The light of the sun above me felt terrible, so I covered my head with the blanket. The scent of honey and chamomile filling my senses, making me relax immediately. 

I could sleep all day here.

The sound of a spoon and boiling water made me open my eyes.

"i live alone" was the first thought I had.

I started recalling what happened. I remember leaving the forest, then taking many naps walking near the river, the nightmares.

I was traveling to The Obsidian Dynasty!

And I took a nap on a tree... and then... oh.

Ohhhhhhh.

The tree branch broke.

"i fell on the river" I whispered.

The sound of wood against metal stopped.

"Well, yes, you did. Unless you did that on purpose?" 

Whose voice is that? It is nice. It gives a comforting feeling to his SOUL.

"I had to take off your clothes, I couldn't leave you with them" she pauses, and even though I can't see her, I felt her smirk.

"You looked chilled to the bone."

A pun.

I smiled for what felt like the first time in months.

**Y/N's POV**

"heh... heheheh"

You smiled to yourself, you made this stranger laugh in your very first interaction. And not only that, they were shaking in laughter. Which made the blanket fall from their face when they bent over themselves at it, a skeletal arm over the place their stomach should be and the other on his forehead.

You chuckled and took your time to observe their ribs a bit. They were wider than a human's and with just the slightest space in between.

They started calming down from their laughter fest.

And held their hand out to you.

And you decided to take it and introduce yourse-

*** _PFFFFFFFFFFT_ ***

You stare at their boney hand. Then look at their face.

They were winking at you with a wide smile.

And you laughed for what felt like hours even though it was just a couple of seconds.

"the name is sans, sans the skeleton."

"Y/N Truthheart, the human. It is nice to meet you, uhhh... Mister Skeleton?" You weren't sure of their gender, but they sounded like a he. Better get it out of the way immediately.

"just sans is okay, kiddo." Oh, so you were right.

"If I got to call you Sans, then you can call me Pixie."

"pixie?" He tilted his head a bit, that's adorable.

"It is a friendly nickname the people back home called me. But enough of that," you stand up and reach to something on your right and standing up you walk towards him and leave his clothes on top of the blanket "I washed your clothes so they were soft. I hope you don't mind the lavender smell."

"i don't mind, thanks pal" he took the clothes in his hands, feeling the fabric with his distals, his eye lights (at least that's how they looked) widening a bit.

You turn around deciding it has been enough time of skeletal observation.

Hearing the rustling of clothing you start serving the soup in your usual wooden bowl and cup.

You didn't have two bowls, so a cup will have to do.

He appears and sits a few arms away from you. You have to admit, his clothes suit him.

If you ever thought of a wizard skeleton, the first image in your mind would be Sans.

He wears a blue hooded velvet robe, at the bottom you can admire the clocks embroidered with a silver thread. Underneath he wears a simple white cotton shirt, black cotton pants with white and grey boots.

"You need a pointy hat with stars." That's all you say when you hand him his food.

He looks at it and thanks you. You wait a bit for his reaction. 

He eats a spoonful. 

Then takes another, and another.

"Is it good?" You said sipping on your cup carefully (curse you for not having another spoon!)

He looks at you as if you suddenly grew three heads.

"are you serious? this is fin-tastic."

A giggle escapes you.

"I was reel-y worried you wouldn't like it."

He is the one giggling now.

"water you talking about? heh, i'll even take seconds."

It is the first time you can joke with someone like this. Not many get puns.

"Well, tank you, Mr. Spooky Scary Skeleton, you can have seconds." You smile at him and see his eye lights gone.

"what did you say?"

Huh?

"That you can have seconds?" Did you do something wrong? You are starting to get worried.

"h u m a n... r e p e a t w h a t y o u c a l l e d m e."

You swallowed, you offended him

"M-Mr. Spooky... Scary... Skeleton...?"

He looked at you with the empty dark voids that were his eye sockets. 

"spooky scary skeletons

send shivers down your spine..."

What the.... is he singing?

"shrieking skulls will shock your SOUL

seal your doom tonight."

You feel his voice falter a bit.

"spooky scary skeletons

speak with such a screech

you'll shake and shudder in surprise

when you hear these zombies shriek ...?" he moves his hand motioning you to continue.

So you do.

"We're so sorry skeletons

You're so misunderstood

You only want to socialize

But I don't think we should" 

You don't know why he wants you to sing.

"Cause spooky scary skeletons

Shout startling shrilly screams"

They'll sneak from their sarcophagus

And just won't leave you be."

When you hit that last line, you look at him. His eye lights are back.

And then it finally clicks.

That is a song you heard while living on Earth.

And he knew the song.

You two just look at each other with your eyes wide in recognition. 

And you make the only question that is on your mind.

"How?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone else ever wake up at ghost alarms?  
> Sometimes I just swear I hear my phone, but when I open my eyes, I remember I didn't set an alarm in the first place.
> 
> It's weird.  
> 
> 
> For now, I won't have a regular update with the story because I seem to be inspired and really wanting to share this story.
> 
> So... yup.
> 
> Hope you are all good and take care of yourselves.
> 
> Laterz~


	3. Carry On My Wayward Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After realizing Sans and you come from the same time, you two decide to exchange stories but, of course, you are more interested about his.
> 
>   
> You can see behind that smile that he needs it.
> 
>   
> His SOUL needs to be heard.
> 
> And your own will listen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The titles are songs that I hear when I am getting ready to write.
> 
> One catches my attention and makes me start.
> 
> So... this chapter is brought to you by Kansas~  
> 
> 
> The first one by Queen and the second one by Andrew Gold.

If someone asked little Sans which was his first memory, he would reply it was a skeletal hand with a hole in the middle.

His father's hand.

If years later, someone asked little Sans which was his most treasured memory, he would reply it was the day Papyrus was born.

...

If someone asked teen Sans which was his biggest fear, he would answer losing a member of his family.

Again.

* * *

**Y/N's POV**

"How?"

After asking that question, you can feel the tension rising a bit.

"that's what i should be asking." His friendly demeanor was gone. He sounded passive-aggressive.

And of course, you weren't going to take that from someone you met a few moments ago.

"Do you want the short or the long version?" You shot back, arms crossed, posture straight, holding his gaze as much as you could. Mom taught you well.

You may have met him moments ago, but you were willing to share your story. You had nothing to hide.

"i have time."

"I doubt you have that much time" you took a sip of your soup, "I've been living in Aklirim for 10 years after all," you paused taking yet another sip. Fish and apple soup was delicious if you knew how to season it.

"How long have you been here, Sans?" 

"nine months, seven hours and 32 minutes."

At that moment, the sun was still above you two.

The moment you finished talking, the moon was casting its silvery light over you.

You decided to tell him a short version. The one about how you escaped home (he didn't need to know why), how you climbed Mount Ebott, about your fall inside a big hole only to wake up in a smaller one with a huge statue looking person burying you alive. Then about how he and his wife adopted you and your time spent under their care, learning and finding what you wanted to do.

You smiled fondly at the memories of your parents. You have been only two weeks out and you already miss them a lot.

You looked over at Sans, who seemed more relaxed, his hands in the pockets of his robe with his eyes closed (how could a skeleton do that?)

Before you could ask, he looked at you again. Not in the same way as all the other times. It felt like he wasn't staring at you but at the same time, he was. It felt as if he was looking into your very SOUL.

"did you ever try to find a way back?"

"Not even once. I..." you blushed, you never admitted this out loud to anyone before "I love this world, Aklirim, my parents, its people. I feel happy."

He sighed, his smile finally back. 

"How did you get here, Sans?" A yawn escaped you.

"heh, i think you need to go to sleep, pixie." He was avoiding your question.

You were going to let it slide this time.

"As long as you tell me tomorrow, I will."

"sure." 

That was good enough for you.

You got up and walked to the place your bedroll was and told Sans he could sleep in it. At his refusal, you insisted. Both of you too stubborn to let the other sleep in the ground. 

So you both ended sharing.

Your upper halves were on top of the bedroll while your bottoms were over the ground.

It wasn't the most comfortable but it was the best idea you could come up with.

"Good night, Sans." You covered both of yourselves with your blanket (it was big enough for you two) and turned around.

"night, pixie."

* * *

_I open my eyes._

_Stare at the ceiling and wait._

_Hear Papyrus' morning wake up call._

_Open the door, make a pun._

_Papyrus walks away once again not admitting that he likes my puns._

_We eat breakfast._

_Spaghetti._

_We get out, for work._

_I teleport to the door._

_Make a promise to Toriel._

_Go back to my station and wait._

_Hear the door open and walk behind whoever got out of the Ruins._

_It is always the same routine during the morning._

_Ask them to turn around._

_Will they be Chara or Frisk?_

_Only one way to find out._

_CHECK their SOUL._

* * *

During the following days, you both set into a routine.

You would wake up at sunrise, turn off your mute alarm and cook some breakfast. As soon as it was finished, Sans woke up.

You clean and gather your things and start to walk. Sans walking slowly by your side.

You cooked lunch, much later dinner and he would nap. You didn't mind. After spending so much time in the river, you were sure he was feeling still a bit weak.

Or maybe he was a lazybones.

In any case, it wasn't until the third day of traveling that your routine changed into one with his story.

* * *

**Sans' POV**

I don't know what made me start. Maybe it was how she didn't push the subject.

Maybe it was her honesty.

Or maybe, it was her SOUL.

A Kindness and Integrity SOUL.

And even after living for 10 years in this world, her stats were admirable. 

She was clearly used to this world. You could notice it in the way she moved, her expertise at selecting ingredients for each meal and her choice of seasoning for them.

She knew this world.

And she knew the other.

Her SOUL was so welcoming, every time I CHECKed I could read the same text.

***She hopes listening to your story will help you.**

And finally, after three days.

"hey, kiddo, are you ready for a story?"

* * *

_**9 months and 3 days ago, on the surface.** _

_It has been a whole year since they got to the surface._

_Frisk accepted to become the Monster Ambassador and got adopted by Toriel._

_Mettaton and his cousin Napstablook became a hit with the humans._

_Undyne and Alphys started living together._

_Toriel founded her very own school. She even decided to give Asgore another chance._

_Grillby had his establishment on the surface now._

_And Papyrus signed up for cooking lessons with an authentic Italian chef._

_Everyone was happy._

_Well, everyone but Sans._

_"SANS? ARE YOU DOWN THERE AGAIN?" Papyrus asked._

_"just a minute, paps." He just needed to adjust this a bit more. He needed it to be perfect._

_"YOU SAID THAT TWO HOURS AGO, SANS!"_

_Just a few more turns and... it was done._

_It was finally done!_

_And so the door opens, only for a clock to float over Papyrus head._

_"wow, time sure flies away when you are busy."_

_"SANS! GRILLBY AND I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU AND THE FIRST THING YOU DO IS TELL ME ONE OF YOUR PUNS! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SOMETIMES, BROTHER" Papyrus picked up Sans under his arm, and he walked towards the living room, where the fire elemental was waiting._

_"hiya, grillbs."_

_"Hello, Sans," he paused for a bit to adjust his glasses "Papyrus was right. You look terrible."_

_"THIS IS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT!" said Papyrus, worry clear in his face._

_"ehhhh... what?" And Sans couldn't feel more lost._

_"Sans, Papyrus has been truly worried about you." Grillby sighed, little wispy flames coming out of his mouth "and honestly, so am I."_

_"you don't have to worry, grillby, i've just been working myself-"_

_"SANS-"_

_"down to the bone"_

_"SANS! YOU HAVE USED THAT ONE, EVEN MORE, TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT"_

_Sans only responded giggling, still in Papyrus' hold._

_"You haven't visited anyone in over a month, Sans."_

_"aww, grillby. were you feeling bonely without me?"_

_"Sans, what have you been doing this month?" Grillby's flames moved along. He was serious about this._

_At his friend's serious stare and his brother's worried one, Sans knew he couldn't pun his way out of this and with Papyrus holding him neither he could teleport away._

_"i've been... working in a little project, it is nearly finished so yeah, nothing to worry 'bout"_

_Papyrus and Grillby stayed quiet and silently looked at each other, both nodding in understanding. The red gloved hands of the youngest set his brother back on his feet._

_"SANS?" Papyrus played with his hands._

_"yes, paps?"_

_"IS... IS THIS ABOUT GASTER?"_

_At that moment, Sans' eye lights disappeared._

_"g r i l l b y?"_

_"Yes, Sans?"_

_"w h y i s p a p y r u s a s k i n g a b o u t h i m?"_

_"Because he was worried about his older brother, that wouldn't come out of his basement!" with each word, his flames turned brighter._

_Taking off his glasses and pinching the place where they were, he continued._

_"He asked me to come here about a week ago. To talk to you. And what do we find? You, passed out, over Gaster's machine."_

_"WE PUT YOU IN YOUR BED SO THAT YOU COULD SLEEP MORE COMFORTABLE" Papyrus interrupted "THEN I ASKED GRILLBY IF HE KNEW WHAT WAS THAT. AND AS HE REFUSED TO TALK, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, USED HIS TALKING EXPERTISE TO PERSUADE OUR FRIEND INTO TELLING ME EVERYTHING."_

_Sans' left hand was on his forehead, distals massaging his nonexistent eyebrow. He was thinking about what to do now._

_He planned to get Alphys to help with the final adjustments, tell Papyrus about their dad, about the machine and then use it._

_They would have their dad back._

_Now. Now was different._

_The machine was finished, Papyrus knew about it and about their dad, Grillby was here too and he was the only other monster to remember Gaster's existence._

_With his help, it would be easy to call Gaster's SOUL back._

_"let's go to the basement. i've got something to show you" and Sans turned around, making his way there._

_Grillby and Papyrus followed behind him._

_Until the three of them were facing the machine._

_After countless nights, Sans finally could end all this. He would save his dad and he would finally be able to rest._

_Because maybe, after being scattered across time and space for so long, his dad would know how to stop **them.**_

_"the machine," Sans said looking over his shoulder "it is complete, i only need to set it up to find gaster's soul. heh, after so long, i am finally able to save him."_

_Papyrus didn't need Sans to turn around to know he was holding back his tears. The way his bones rattled was enough of a tell._

_"THEN WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?" Enthusiastically, he grabbed Sans and Grillby's hand, earning a surprised look from both "TELL US WHAT YOU NEED AND WE CAN TEST IT OUT, TOGETHER."_

_"papyrus-"_

_"COME ON SANS, YOU CAN'T EXPECT US TO LEAVE YOU ALONE NOW."_

_"something could go wrong, papyrus, i don't want you nor grillby near it if it happens."_

_"GASP! BROTHER, EVEN IF I APPRECIATE YOU CARING FOR OUR SAFETY, BOTH GRILLBY AND I CARE ABOUT YOURS, SO THERE IS NO WAY WE WILL LEAVE YOU TO TEST IT OUT ALONE. ISN'T THAT RIGHT, GRILLBY?"_

_"You are right, Papyrus" he placed his hand in Sans' shoulder, the same comforting gesture the eldest of the three made the day they met. "Let us help you this time."_

_"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BELIEVE IN GASTER'S MACHINE. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY..._

_I BELIEVE IN YOU SANS."_

_How could he refuse when his brother said stuff like that?_

_..._

_After what seemed like hours of work, the three were exhausted but Sans now really felt like this could work. His family's help was even more useful than he expected. Their input helped solved the equations faster than he could alone, and Papyrus' skill at puzzle-solving skills helped to solve a few of the blanks that rose while they worked._

_Papyrus and Grillby were standing right next to the door, a small request made by Sans for both to stay safe but close_

_The first test could start now._

_As soon as Sans pulled the lever._

_Any second now._

_Any moment._

_Papyrus got out of his hiding spot and pulled the lever himself._

_The place at their right started to look blurry as if that place was extremely warm._

_Even when Grillby approached the brothers, the room felt eerily cold._

_Something was wrong._

_None of them managed to say a word before a dark portal appeared, and the Void swallowed them all._

_Sans' grip on his friend and brother was desperate._

_He brought them into this._

_And the moment he felt something slip from his hand and lose the pressure of what was on his shoulder, Grillby was no longer there._

_"GRILLBY!"_

_"papyrus! stay still!"_

_The shaking of his little brother and the tone of his voice made Sans turn around and pull him into a hug._

_"everything is going to be okay, papyrus" No, they won't be. "we will find grillby, just keep holding me tight, okay?" Sans begged in his mind, no, pleaded with his SOUL to the Void for MERCY, to SPARE them._

_It was futile._

_The Void didn't have a SOUL to listen to his request._

_The last thing Sans saw, was the face of Papyrus, orange tears._

_The last thing he heard was "STAY DETERMINED, BROTHER."_

* * *

_The moment Sans opened his eyes, the greenery and the bright light of the sun surprised him._

_He never got up faster in his life. He needed to find Papyrus and Grillby._

_He looked around and found himself in a forest. The many shades of green, the sound of the wind through the leaves and the singing of birds and movement of other wood critters felt so peaceful._

_Sans didn't notice that._

_He focused on the feel of magic around him._

_It was strong, just raw magic wandering through every single thing._

_Including the ones observing him from both of his sides._

_Normally, it wouldn't bother him that much, he would try to strike a conversation._

_But he felt their intent, so he decided to CHECK one of them._

_..._

_Nope, it wasn't working._

_He could not CHECK them._

_That was a bad signal. It was time to teleport away._

_But nothing happened._

_No matter what Sans tried, his magic wasn't answering to him._

_"uhhh..." he lifted his left hand to wave at the ones on his right._

_It was a bad idea._

_But at least Sans was fast._

_A sword slashed down, dirt, grass, and rocks flew out of the place it collided._

_An arrow was next, followed by another and yet another one. Without his magic, Sans couldn't pull them into an encounter, he had to be careful with his ranged opponent._

_He was surprised by the next attack, it didn't hit him, but it caught his hoodie scorching the right pocket in the process. The mote of fire disappeared behind him_

_He continued avoiding each of the attacks his opponents sent him. Each fiercest and fastest than the last. And he was getting tired._

_He just needed to keep dodging, hold his ground long enough to escape and keep looking for his family._

_He felt something in his SOUL._

_He didn't care. He just wanted to see his family again._

_"Pots ruoy skcatta! Eh t'nseod tnaw ot thgif" said one of his attackers who stepped out of the bushes._

_They held a lyre under their arm and sported long blond hair tied in a braid at one side. A human with pointy ears._

_Wait... humans don't have pointy ears._

_What kind of creature was they? On a normal day, he would've thought of a Vulcan and would've made a Star Trek joke. Unfortunately, this wasn't a normal day. He couldn't even understand what the creature in front of him said._

_"Tahw od uoy naem, Bayth?" said the swordsman. It seems everyone stopped their attacks._

_"Eh tsuj stnaw ot og emoh. Dnif sih ylimaf, Lamberth."_

_"Kcuf. Tub uoy lliw eb elbisnopser rof sih snoitca. Dna eh sah ot eb deit, yako?"_

_"Yako" the one with the wand looked at Sans "ym eman si Bayth" Blondie held their hand out for the skeleton in a friendly manner "s'tahw ruoy eman?"_

_"uh... what?" What did he say? "look, pal, i can't understand you."_

_Blondie looked confused at first, then their lips turned into an "o" and they pulled their lyre from under their arm, making the typical "one-sec" gesture._

_And so they started playing a short sweet tune, the skeleton could fill how magic swirled around Blondie in a fantastic display of lighthearted notes._

_As soon as they stopped, Blondie put their lyre away and extended their hand, only this time, they touched Sans shoulder making him flinch in surprise at the sudden feel of magic._

_"Greetings, skeleton. My name is Bayth" they pulled their hand away slowly "Don't worry about your shoulder, it was just a spell called Tongues, it will help us communicate." Blondi- Bayth tried to calm Sans down. He was still visibly tense, and he was even stiffer when he felt his other attackers approach._

_"What is your business in this forest?" said another of these strange humans, bow in hand. They looked exactly like Bayth, the only difference was their braid was on the opposite side._

_"i woke up here...?" Usually, Sans would know exactly what to do in situations like this, but now he was powerless. The wisest decision was to talk._

_"Look, skeleton, we don't have time for your-"_

_"Sage, please, you are making him nervous. We don't want unnecessary fights in this sacred forest" Bayth looked sharply at their lookalike who huffed in disbelief._

_"Shut it you two!" The swordsman ordered._

_"What is your name?" The smaller of the quartet, a brunette asked Sans._

_"the name is sans. sans the skeleton" he extended his hand for them to shake. It was a shame he couldn't use magic. He can't pull his whoopee cushion out of his dimensional box._

_"I am Leandar, one of the Elves from the Sanctum."_

_Elves. Of course, he should have guessed. This is what he gets for obsessing with sci-fi. Papyrus would've known immediately. He loves fantasy stories, full of knights, princesses, and dragons._

_If Papyrus is around here, somewhere, Sans can only pray he doesn't try to befriend a dragon._

_"hey, be a pal and throw me a bone, buddy" there was no reaction. Everyone just looked at him blankly._

_"What? Why would I throw a bone at you?"_

_Oh no._

_"it is just a saying from where i come from, some humans use it too."_

_"Humans surely do and say the strangest things. I never liked them." the swordsman put his sword away and cleaned his hand on his pants. "The name is Pathros, by the way."_

_"yeah, good to know" at least he had the names of the ones trying to kill him._

_Bayth and Sage stopped arguing at this point, Sage, of course, shooting another question, not even attempting to introduce._

_"Why did you want her to throw you a bone?"_

_"i didn't mean it literally" okay, half of his joke repertoire would fly over their heads. Puns weren't going to save him this time. "i meant if she could help me. you see, i don't know where i am or how i got here!" This whole situation was ridiculous and he was losing valuable time he could have spent looking for his family_

_The four Elves looked surprised at him raising his voice but didn't step back._

_Pathros attempted to grab Sans' shoulder. Of course, Sans dodged him, but at least Pathros tried to comfort him._

_"Let's get back to the Sanctum, we can talk there."_

_..._

_That's how Sans arrived at The Forest Sanctum of Athana, the Ethereal. Its buildings were inside trees, all made of stone. Circles adorned each of the buildings, some the colors of silver, others golden._

_A huge stone building with a giant door was in the North part of the Sanctum, a tiny sign was in front of it with "The Archives" written on it._

_Sans was brought to Pathros' house. Where he explained he just woke up in the middle of the forest and he didn't know anything else._

_He didn't mention his theory about how this wasn't his world._

_He did mention looking for his little brother, a skeleton much taller, cooler and louder than him, and a fire elemental with glasses._

_Sans was the first moving skeleton they ever saw, and they never met a fire person._

_He was devastated._

_But Papyrus' words for him to stay determined came back._

_He needed to learn about this world to hopefully find a way to have his magic back. But for that, he needed to learn Elvish first. He couldn't depend on Bayth and his spell all the time._

_The first two months and a half were spent in learning the language, traditions, and history of this world, Aklirim. And building a house._

_If he ever found Papyrus and Grillby, they would need a place to stay while they tried to find a way back to their universe._

_With all this new knowledge, he found out something really important, which brought him to how he spent his next months at the Sanctum._

_The first thing any magic-user of this world learned was the use of an arcane focus. An arcane focus was a special item that channeled the magic inside you and manifested it. No arcane focus was the same, it was unique and personal to each spellcaster. A connection with it was needed._

_With this new knowledge, Sans couldn't help but feel like an idiot. All this time, he had something that he could use as his arcane focus._

_His Quantum Physics/Joke book. It was light, he could take it anywhere, in fact, it was one of the few things that he still had with him. Heh, he could even prank Papyrus next time by letting him see his new Spellbook._

_When he got his arcane focus ready, Sans invested as much time as he could to learn the mechanics of magic, he had to admit that, worries and all, he was passionate about all the new knowledge he was getting and all the theories he formed._

_He couldn't believe that it took him only 3 months to succeed in his first theory. It was way longer than he wanted._

_Still, he recovered something he missed so much. His magic. It was back, with all the things it carried._

_He spent all the first day CHECKing every SOUL in the Sanctum._

_The lowest LV without counting the children was Bayth's._

_It was 5._

_Sans talked to these people for months, all of them had blood in their hands._

_After a few days observing his 'friends', he noticed hunting never got them EXP._

_Sans stopped getting out of his house for a whole week after that._

_He spent all his time trying to figure out what he felt._

_And what he felt was strange._

_8 SOULs? Somewhere in the world 8 SOULs resonated with his own._

_One of them had to be Papyrus! He could feel it in his bones!_

_But then who were the other 7?_

_Fragments of his dad?_

_He wouldn't find out unless he left the forest._

_It was time to move._

_..._

_"You can't leave, Sans," said Leandar not even attempting to lift her gaze from the berries she was eating._

_"what do you mean i can't leave?" If only he knew what was out there, he would teleport out of the Forest immediately. The idea of teleporting in the same place as another creature was terrifying._

_"What Leandy meant, is that you can't without knowing the right spell, Sans," said Sage. The past couple of months, she became nicer._

_"... i read all the books in here. what other spells could i possibly need?"_

_"Well, normally, you don't need to learn it" Pathros started "as descendants of The Ethereal, we all know the spell. It is like a magic safe-conduct to get in or out."_

_"Go to the door of The Archives, maybe The Ethereal can help you. Knock two times, and wait. I did that once. The Ethereal then gave me a book with the knowledge I was looking for." Mentioned Bayth, casually._

_"huh. guess i'll need to pay athana a visit."_

_"Sans! For the last time, be more respectful to The Ethereal"_

_With a smile and a wink, Quantum Physics book in hand, he teleported away._

_The Archives' building was surrounded by silence and Sans had all the reasons to dislike it._

_Athana, the Ethereal was supposed to be inside._

_Sans couldn't feel a single SOUL inside._

_Was she dead?_

_He approached and knocked twice on the door._

_How boring it was if no one asked: "who's there?"_

_Well, there is nothing he could do, so he sat down in front of the building and waited._

_1 hour._

_2 hours._

...

_12 hours._

_..._

_He heard the door open and when he turned around, he had to step aside._

_The door closed with a bang._

_It seemed like The Ethereal was alive._

_He turned around and found a couple of meters away from his feet, a clock._

_He would've needed to rely on his memory to remember what this trinket was. But he knew exactly what it was._

_Stars bless flavor text._

_*The Adventure Calls._

_*One of Athana's relics. A golden pocket watch. A safe-conduct only promising travelers can get._

_*At midnight, the clock sets itself to a fixed hour. The time reveals when the most important event of the day will happen._

_*It allows you to go out and return to The Forest Sanctum whenever you want._

* * *

**Y/N's PoV**

"and after that, you saved me from the river."

You stared at him for a second.

"Wait, that doesn't explain why were you in the river, Sans!"

"do you really want to know?"

"Yes," you **REALLY** wanted to know.

He sat closer to you "do you really, **really,** want to know?"

"Sans" you pouted, crossing your arms and looking down. You know, like a child, grumpy but with the hopes to get their way "I really, **really,** want to know."

And with a smirk, he leaned towards you and whispered in your ear. You blushed.

"i was taking a nap in that branch... when it broke and i fell into the river." He pulled away.

"..."

"... heh"

You two couldn't stop your laughter at this.

It has been 6 days since you rescued Sans.

You were happy you met him.

It was as if you two were good old friends.

Even he looked a bit happier.

That was what made it so sad for you. The next morning all you found was a note thanking you for everything.

You wished with all your being that he could find his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Y/N  
>  LV: 1  
> EXP: 0  
> HP: 200/200  
> ATK: 90  
> DEF: 120**  
> 
> 
> ***She hopes listening to Sans' story will help him.**
> 
> * * *
> 
>  **Sans is a LORE MASTERY WIZARD.**  
>   
>    
> **Lore Mastery is an arcane tradition fixated on understanding the underlying mechanics of magic.  
>  It is the most academic of all arcane traditions.  
> The promise of uncovering new knowledge or proving (or discrediting) a theory of magic is usually required to rouse its practitioners from their laboratories, academies, and archives to pursue a life of adventure.**  
> 
> 
> **Known as savants, followers of this tradition are a bookish lot who see beauty and mystery in the application of magic.  
>  The results of a spell are less interesting to them than the process that creates it.  
> Some savants take a haughty attitude toward those who follow a tradition focused on a single school of magic, seeing them as provincial and lacking the sophistication needed to master true magic.  
> Other savants are generous teachers, countering ignorance and deception with deep knowledge and good humor.**
> 
> * * *
> 
> The Forest Sanctum of Athana, the Ethereal. 
> 
> It is also known by the names of Athana's Sanctum, The Forest Sanctum or Athana's forest.
> 
> A place for pilgrimage for many people. It is a sacred place to elves. Every single one arrives in hopes that Athana, the Ethereal, could spare a bit of her infinite knowledge with them and give meaning to their lives.
> 
> The biggest part of the elf population lives in stone buildings built inside of trees with The Archives being the heart of this silent sanctuary. 
> 
> Its inhabitants chose to live a pacifist and quiet life, so if you speak elvish, you won't have to end up tied to a tree by the Sanctum's Guardian Quartet.
> 
> If you are an elf, maybe you are one of the lucky descendants of Athana and you will get to hear her sweet voice the first time you set foot in The Sanctum.
> 
> Or even better, you will be the next lucky soul she will invite inside The Archives to join her and the others in a quest for knowledge.
> 
> * * *
> 
> I planned to make this chapter shorter, but somehow this happened.
> 
> Next chapter, we will meet a new character and the first member of our party!
> 
> Try to guess in the comments, it will give you potato points for a little thing I have ready for later ( > 0)
> 
> See ya next time~


	4. It's Hard to be the Bard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Sans' departure, you spend two and a half weeks more traveling to The Dazzling City of Tazziros, the Flippant.
> 
> When you arrive in the city, the locals seem to be applauding and cheering at someone. You hear them trying to get The Bard's attention.
> 
> But you make here to make some business. You needed to sell your goods.
> 
> So when you went to Madame Züngig's manor to get her authorization, you didn't expect to meet the local celebrity.
> 
> And you certainly didn't expect him to be another skeleton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today I have the honor of introducing a new skeleton, a new city, and our first antagonist!
> 
> This chapter's title was inspired by the song It's hard to be the Bard from Something Rotten The Musical.
> 
> I hope you all like it.

Growing up, you heard your parents talk about The Dazzling City of Tazziros, the Flippant, just a couple of times. 

Your mom never liked it. She said that its inhabitants, the Tabaxi, were charming and welcoming to travelers. They were just like their city, dazzling. And that's why she never set a foot in that place again. There was something about that sugary friendliness, she felt they were hiding something right in front of her nose, that they were making a fool out of her.

Your dad, well, he had a different opinion. He liked them for the reasons your mother didn't. He thought that Tabaxi were interesting, and he surely had a lot of fun trying to find their secrets. As soon as you were closer to their secret, they would be jumping at the chance to distract you. As the head of The Obsidian Dynasty, this worked for his advantage during their trades. Their distress made them comply with his demands easily.

Anyone who thought Goliaths weren't smart could swallow their words as soon as they met your parents.

Now, that didn't prepare you for what you had in front of you.

The city was huge!

Well, not so much compared to the Dynasty or the ones you used to see when you were a kid.

But the buildings were enormous. All of them had at least two levels and... were those manors at the distance?

And the smell of flowers, the bustling of people, the different smells coming from every corner, each of the mouthwatering scents were enough to make you turn around. The impeccable streets, the white stone of the buildings and the different colored roofs made everything spectacular.

Tabaxi, the catlike humanoids, looked adorable to you. You haven't seen anything similar to a cat in ages, and the urge to pet one of the people here was starting to bother you.

Maybe you could ask one later.

"Well, would you look at that! I haven't seen one of you in years," purred a sweet voice by your side, now, a silhouette stepping in front of you "And she is a choice bit of calico" said the dark-haired Tabaxi, his eyes two slits over an ocean of blue, his Cheshire smile and the tingly sound of the bell in his neck brought a smile to you.

"Good morning, I haven't seen one of you in over a decade" you were referring to felines in general.

"The name is Lost" he bowed "at your service... what should a chivalrous tabaxi like me call you?"

"I'm Y/N nice to meet you, Mr. Lost. And, since you are offering, I would love if you could point me where the Inn is? I need a place to stay a couple of days." You acted as polite as always, and he seemed friendly and eager to help. You weren't one to turn down a helping hand without a good reason.

"Well then," he turned around, tail swinging from side to side only to settle around his waist "follow me, and I will guide you." You smiled at this and walked behind him, listening carefully to the things he would tell you, pointing at other buildings that may be of interest and pointing out the best places to eat and their specialty. You certainly learned lots about the city. You hoped you could repay Mr. Lost in someway after arriving at the Inn, he mentioned at some point it was just around the next corner.

He stopped a couple of feet in front of you and stopped you with his hand. "Well, flapper dear, we have a bit of a problem," you walked to his side and found the whole street blocked. Tabaxi moving and trying to step over each other, talking about how it has been so long since they saw **him**. 

"The Bard is back!"

"Doppel's Firmament is not the same without its star."

"Do you think he has something new?"

"He should write a play!"

"A musical would be so much better."

"I think his poetry and ballads are nice."

You tilted your head in confusion, what was the big deal? What was _"Doppel"_? You were already a bit lost with all the slang and terms your new acquaintance used, but now you felt as if you stepped in a completely different world.

It wouldn't be the first time.

"HERE COMES THE BARD!"

"Want to go the other way or wait for the commotion to end, Y/N?" Mr. Lost pulled you out of your thoughts.

"No, no. We can wait, I'm curious about this bard," you tried to look over the heads of the people but Tabaxi were so tall compared to you. You were going to save some dignity and hold back in trying to jump to get a glimpse of him "maybe I will get to see him later?" you smiled to your guide to which he laughed, walking to the wall and resting his side on it.

"I know him, little Y/N, he is a fine egg" he looked towards the crowd "the first time he arrived here, 4 months ago give or take, he was just like you, looking around in awe, wearing these weird clothes. He walked in and looked around. He saw the florist setting up his shop, the poor old thing, his back has been bad for ages, so when someone offered some help he agreed immediately." Lost turned to look at you."He spent a whole month in the same routine, helping all around the city and getting paid for his help," the tabaxi sighed, a soft chuckle that moved his whiskers with the sound "next thing we knew, he suddenly had a musical instrument, one we have never seen."

"Wow, you do know him, Mr. Lost" you mentioned enthusiastically. You loved when people told you stories.

"Nah, all this is what everyone else knows. At this point, it is common knowledge little Y/N" with the following words, his pupils were a line so thin that, if you weren't aware of what to look for, you would've missed them "the reasons why we know each other are a different story for another day."

You haven't been a day in this town, and you stumbled upon a glimpse of a secret.

People just seemed to spill their secrets and stories to you. It also happened with Sans.

You spent a whole week with him but the impression he made was so strong that you couldn't help but miss him. A punny guy like that is hard to find. 

"Anyways, let me finish the story everyone knows," Lost had his Cheshire smile back, "with this new instrument, he spent time playing it telling stories no one else ever heard. Our attention was all set in him, his words were enchanting and the characters of his tales were epic, relatable, engaging. His words were like honey and we all were bees coming back to him, he got so much attention that madame Doppel" you saw his nose twitch and his tail move up and against the wall, whoever this Doppel was, Lost didn't like her "decided to patronize him, she paid for his expenses so he could invest all his time in writing his songs and poetry."  
  


The noisy crowd finally started to calm down and move around. It looked like you could finally make your way towards the Inn.

"I feel like there is a "but" in this story."

"That's true, little Y/N," he sighed and stretched from his place on the wall "The Bard continued playing his curious instrument for a month or so, the only thing you saw him doing around was to play his songs and read the occasional book. Nothing unusual. But" he winked at you "one day, he stopped. We stopped seeing him around for a week or something, and the next time we do, he is walking around with the guards, no instrument in sight, just him sharing his last story. Trust me, The Bard is talented and his story was incredible, but we all could feel he missed that tiny guitar of his."

"What happened to it?" you felt bad for The Bard, by Lost's expression you could tell that it was an upsetting sight.

"Nobody knows, little flapper" he started walking again "now, follow me again, your destination is right around the corner."

* * *

Booking a room for a couple of days was no problem, the receptionist of Serene Dreams Inn was a young Tabaxi named Violet, the owner's daughter she said. You paid for your stay with the money you had, leaving you enough to get some supplies and get to work. Violet, lent you a key, telling you the times meals will be served and to tell her or her mother before taking a bath so they could tell you all the nooks and crannies that you needed to know.

Your room was on the top floor, to the right of the stairs, all the way down the hall. Room 07, the one with the best pillows said Violet. And who were you but an old first-time traveler to tell her otherwise? Not that you felt she was wrong. As soon as you stepped into the room, your eyes focused on the bed. Who cares about how the place you are staying looks? No one. What matters is that you are only using it to sleep and oh sweet Merxis, they certainly were the best pillows.

You felt yourself sinking into the bed and start to fall asleep. Traveling could go to heck, you found true happiness in this bed.

...

You got up reluctantly. It didn't matter how good was the pillow, you needed to ask where you could make some business. You were here to sell your apothecary goods. Ointments, creams, soap, conditioner and shampoo bars, teas, drops and syrups carefully prepared to treat with common illnesses. Simple things that could help at least a bit. You had enough knowledge to make more potions and other remedies, but it wasn't good for business. If people knew that you could heal more than the usual symptoms and ailments not only you wouldn't be able to sell a thing, your life could also be in danger.

Aklirim wasn't a nice place for any kind of healer. It didn't matter if you weren't a spellcaster, they discriminated you all the same.

You had to play it nice and act as if you didn't know a thing beyond a cold.

Sighing, you left the room and locked the door. You hoped your things will be safe for at least one afternoon. You put the key in your pocket and made your way downstairs.

"Violet," she was sitting looking bored, her head resting on the table "can I ask you something?"

"You already did" she mumbled. "But I will allow you to make another question, you are a paying guest so all questions are free."

"It is nice of you to say questions because now I thought of another one," she turned her gaze towards you, her head still on the table "the first one is who or where should I go to get authorization to sell my goods?"

Her ear twitched "What are you selling?"

"Oh, nothing yet. I need some authorization to make some business, now... if you are interested, you can answer my question first" you smiled at the child.

"You need to talk to Madame Züngig. Take a sample of what are you selling and she will give you a letter with her signature and you will be all good to go." Oh, you didn't expect a kid to actually have an answer. Who knows how many times she listened to his mother replying to the same questions. "You will find her in her manor at the end of the main road at your right. it is the white manor, the one with golden gates and details and the orange carnations in the front. You won't miss it."

"Great, white manor with gold and orange carnations, got it. And the other question is, where do I get an Othein Traveling Permit?"

"You can get it next door. Our neighbors are the ones in charge of that, you need to pay 500 Gold to get it."

"What? 500 G?!" you swallowed... you still had 130 gold left, and if you sold everything you would win 700 or maybe more. If you made a stop at Merxis before traveling, you could restock in supplies.

"What? You can't afford that lady?" Violet surely was having fun at your expense, a spark of joy now in her eyes.

"I can, I just can't believe that a piece of paper will cost that much." goodbye gold. "In any case, thanks for the help, Violet. Can you help me with the bath thing now?"

"You said you would tell me what you were selling!" 

"Yeah, yeah, I'll tell you after I take a bath, okay?"

* * *

Well... Whatever you thought a manor was like before, it is totally gone. The building in front wasn't just that. It was art.

It looked as if it was made out of white and pristine marble a silver door in the center shining in the distance. The golden pillars in the edges of the house stood tall and proud of their job of holding the whole structure, the roof made of gold shingles looking as if they were polished daily. And the most beautiful thing, the one that made you think it was art was the blue and purple flowers hanging on silvery vines that were on the walls growing in delicate spirals.

In front of you, you could see a road full of the prettiest carnations you have ever seen. Bright and orange with petals that turned red around the edges. The open gate in front of you had jewels in it, imitating a night sky and the word's "Doppel's Firmament" divided in between the two doors. You heard that name before.

The only thing that didn't surprise you were the windows. The glass designs and magnificent quality were ones you grew up seeing. The Obsidian Dynasty was known for its high quality and immaculate design. As long as you looked at the windows, you wouldn't feel out of place. Yes, you were the daughter of the Masters, leaders of Merxis' Dynasty but they never felt the need to live in a house bigger or more eyecatching than the others. You lived in the same place as everyone else, and if you were an outsider, it would be harder to spot the place where you live. 

_"In this way, outsiders won't be able to tell who are the leaders unless they know us. It is always fun to see how they act after treating you as anyone else."_

Your dad loved to see other people's reactions to the silliest things.

Putting yourself together, you walked with the nobility of your people, which is another way to say stiff, with firm loud steps. You were in front of the door when a Ginger tabaxi opened it.

"Good Afternoon, my name is Elite, head butler of Madame Züngig. How may I help you, lady?" their tone was polite and even more formal than what you were used to. You didn't like the kind of distance their speech and voice formed. Huh, no wonder why mom didn't like this place.

"Good afternoon, my name is Y/N Truthheart," oh geez, you are getting a bit nervous at so much formality "I was hoping to talk with Madame Züngig or at least know if I could have an audience with her." Was that okay? Please, someone, say it was.

They smiled and opened the door more "Welcome to the House of Züngig, lady Truthheart, please follow me upstairs and don't wander around on your own. I'll inform Madame Züngig of your arrival."

As uncomfortable as you were by their tone, you didn't take the same time admiring the indoors as you did with the outside. You just kept looking behind at Elite's shoes. They had the same shapes as your shoes. You certainly weren't expecting that, you thought that with their catlike looks, they would have feet more similar to felines. You looked around once again and saw a big oak door at the end of the hall, a voice could be heard behind it.

"-ave to finish this, we had a deal! If you aren't going to fulfill your part of it, then I guess I will have to disp-" Elite interrupted whoever was shouting inside by knocking. "Yes? Who is it?" Elite's tail tightened around them "Madame Züngig, it is I, Elite, a guest has arrived and wishes to talk with you." An exasperated sigh could be heard, it probably was Madame Züngig. "Is the guest with you, Elite?" they looked at you swallowing, "Yes, Madame, the guest is with me."

"Let them in."

The door swung open, and you immediately noticed the yellow eyes staring at you. Elite made a small bow when they opened the door and put their arm in front of their chest. There was no other option than entering.

So you did.

"Well, hello there~" her sweet voice was friendlier than you expected. To be honest with yourself, it sounded like the one the most adorable grandma in the world would have.

Luckily, she wasn't your grandma. There was something that made you shiver. 

"I am Madame Züngig, it is so wonderful to meet you~" another shiver "what is your name, sugar?"

"Uh... Y/N Truthheart, ma'am" she stood up from her big and red chair, her mauve and sapphire suit a strange combination that weirdly fitted her white fur and yellow eyes. "You are so little," she chuckled stopping in front of you "how adorable."

You smiled, that tiny polite smile you used to make when you were a kid in front of teachers when they asked about your parents. At the time, the idea of getting in trouble made you react that way. You didn't want **that woman** to punish you. So you faked a smile so teachers would leave you alone. You hoped that the same smile could make Madame Züngig give you some space.

"Oh, but let's not talk like this." She put a hand in your shoulder and made a motion with the other "Please, have a seat, little Truthheart."

A bit intimidated, but composing yourself a bit you turned to look at the place where she wanted you to sit. Only to lose all composure.

There was a small table, it looked like it was made of the same kind of wood as the door and around that table, there was a velvet loveseat and another chair of the same design. What got your attention, was the fact that in the loveseat there was someone.

A tall looking skeleton in the most uncomfortable and pompous clothes you have ever seen anyone wear.

You were surprised at his gold cape with silver thread and bells at the end of it, at the silver doublet with red thread in the ruffles.

But the trunk hose.

That brought a smile to your face and a frown to the skeleton's.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there" it was incredible that you didn't with him dressed like that. If it wasn't for Züngig, you would have been doubling over your stomach guffawing at his choice of clothing.

"Don't worry, sugar, I hope you don't mind if he stays here, The Bard and I need to finish a conversation afterward." Okay, nevermind. You didn't want to laugh anymore. "Won't you keep this adorable, little, sweet lady company? I need to have a little word with Elite about... the sweets they should bring now that we have this lovely guest." She smiled and walked to the door, "it'll take me just a minute, excuse me." The door swung behind her.

Both you and the skeleton deflated releasing the air you were holding.

You looked at each other and smiled. After meeting Sans, you had a good feeling about skeletons.

So you held out a hand and reintroduced yourself "Hey, the name is Y/N, Y/N the human it is nice to meet you" he lifted his bonebrows (or at least that's what you called them) at you and extended his hand to hold yours. You shook it happily, smiling "is your name Papyrus?" you asked casually as if you made the same question to anyone the same way as if you talked about the weather.

The moment you set eyes on him, Sans' story was in the back of your mind. About how he was looking for his little brother. You wondered if you found his brother if it was him. Sans looked so proud yet so sad when he talked about Papyrus. 

He pulled his hand away and frowned a soft and threatening voice asked: "h o w d o y o u k n o w m y n a m e ?"

This wasn't what you expected. Sans made his little brother sound like such a sweet cinnamon roll of positivity but this skeleton said it was his name. Did something happen to him?

"Uh... Sans?" your answer came in the form of a question. Why were your first talks with skeletons funny, threatening and by the looks of Papyrus' face, emotional.

"y-you... did you r-really see my bro?" oh no, he looked like he was about to cry. Who knows what Madame Züngig would think if you made him cry. 

"Yes, I did, uh... small skeleton, round skull, likes the color blue, puns and he has magic?" Papyrus had tears running down his face now, his eyes were closed and he was nodding confirming that was his brother you were talking about. So you sat by his side and started patting, his back? Was that the right term? Curse skeleton biology. "Yes, I met him a couple of weeks ago, look Papyrus, I can tell you more about it later, I promise, I just uhhh..." you held his hand and caressed the back of it with your thumb, rubbing his back "I need you to be a big skeleton and to stop crying, I need Madame Züngig to like me, okay?" at the mention of her, Papyrus, squeezed your hand back and with his cape, he cleaned his tears and breathed in deeply.

"sorry, i..." his voice showed no trace of the emotion he just showed in front of you "didn't expect to hear about my bro." He looked at the door and squinted his eyes a bit, turning towards you and looking at the hand you were still holding. You could feel that he was thinking of something.

The look he gave you when he stared into your eyes only confirmed it.

"what did you think of my bro?" What?

"He is an incredible guy, totally would be friends with him."

He nodded with the most relaxed smile you have ever seen "i need you to help me."

"What?" he looked at the door again.

"züngig, she took my ukulele" His what now? Ukulele? "do you know what is an arcane focus?" it was your turn to nod now. "my ukulele, i made it myself, it is my focus. i-" again, his gaze was on the door. "she keeps both the ukulele and me locked down" you gasped, you knew you were right at disliking her "i need something to escape at night. you... you are my only hope, i need lockpicks and a sleeping potion. i will do something for you to be able to come here again." He released your hand, got a bit away from you and his poker face was back. "züngig is about to enter, act natural."

"Wha-" you barely had time to move and sit properly when the door swung open.

"Were you two having fun?" Züngig spoke.

"no, she hasn't heard any of my poems" Papyrus' reply made Züngig gasp.

"You haven't heard about Stretch, THE BARD?" Stretch who?

"No, Madame, I'm afraid I haven't" you were feeling a bit braver with a friendly face by your side. Internally, you were just panicking. The old feline had Papyrus captured?! Why didn't anyone try to help him? How long has this been going on? Your head was starting to hurt with that many questions.

"That's such a shame, little Y/N," she took a seat in the other place available around the table "I hope your stay in our Dazzling City lasts long enough for you to hear him. It is an experience out of this world!" she exclaimed happily, her gaze full of admiration. You were just stiff at her wording. "But enough of that, sugar, you must have come here to my humble abode" you weren't sure if you two were in the same place now "for a reason, right? So, what brings you here?"

"Oh! First, thank you for receiving me in such a short notice" you can do this "I'm a traveling apothecary" her pupils turned into slits at the mention of your profession "I confection many goods used for skin and fur care along with some medicines to alleviate simple things like headaches, mild fevers, the medicines one should keep in their house when they get a cold" you took out of your pocket a small flask and 3 small different candles that you offered to her "essential oils and scented candles to relax." Züngig took them and proceeded to inspect them.

Papyrus was observing the exchange quietly. He closed his eyes and started to relax, a plan already taking shape in his mind.

"These are high-quality goods you have" she smiled, tail moving in happiness "would you mind if I keep them?"

"Oh no, please, go ahead" you needed to keep it like this, all business-related. "I brought them with that intention, someone as busy and important as you, madame, needs to relax." She deserves something else, but you won't say it now. "Actually, my goods are the reason why I'm here now. I have been told that you are the one that gives the authorization to trade in the city."

"Oh yes, I am the one in charge, little human" she smiled sweetly. "Let me sign the letter and you will be all good to go, oh, but not without trying the cook's pastries. I promise they are the best."

"Oh, sure Madame" You didn't want to stay, but you also didn't want to leave Papyrus alone. Not yet. "I would gladly accept your offer."

But you knew you can't avoid the inevitable.

* * *

When you returned to Serene Dreams, you were exhausted. Your head felt like a beehive, only that instead of bees they were questions, one buzzing after the other. The bed of your room never looked more appealing. But you needed a plan and had to do some work out of your usual one.

Lockpicks. How were you going to get lockpicks without looking suspicious? Could you even get them in the city?

Ugh... Sans and Papyrus better get ready to bake you the best cookies ever. Or maybe a cake.

Could they even bake?

Papyrus surely didn't think about everything. Even if he escaped, he would get recognized. 

You were sure no one would forget his clothes. You started giggling at the thought of seeing him dressed like that.

"Maybe I should get him some new clothes," you said to yourself while yawning.

....

You woke up startled. You didn't wake up at the usual ringing of your phone.

You looked out of the window and saw that it was still dark outside. There weren't as many stars as you have seen other nights, the time for the sun to rise must be near. You debated in between staying in bed or preparing for your day.

There was so much to do and so little time. You needed to get everything done in three days, counting today. Luckily, Papyrus, knew when you would leave, which made things a bit easier. You just needed to focus on selling your goods and getting the things Papyrus asked for. Easy.

At least, now you had an idea on how to get a lockpick but a sacrifice had to be made. You haven't used it since the day you arrived n this world. Your phone was a small price to pay compared to reuniting those brothers. You could see how much they cared for each other, and you were going to help any way you could. 

With your energy back, you started preparing in your room the sleeping potion Papyrus wanted. You would need to leave it to rest for a whole day for it to set. It was good that you woke up so early. The process of making a potion of that kind without the use of fire needed days of preparing ingredients, so it was a blessing that you always had a bit of everything prepared ahead, now it was just a work of mixing, crushing and blending different oils, spores and herbs with a bit of water, letting it rest under the sunlight.

By the time you were finished the potion was resting over the bed, the sunlight would enter through the window. It was the perfect spot for something so valuable.

Gathering your goods, you locked the room and walked downstairs, breakfast would be served at any moment, and no matter how delicious the pastries were at Züngig's place, you were starving.

* * *

You couldn't believe it.

As soon as you arrived at the cute square that separated both sides of the shopping district, you placed over your goods on the floor over a mat Violet lend you. You were smiling and setting the prices for your goods when your first customer arrived. Apparently, he had a terrible migraine. You handed him a willow bark tincture and recommended him to drink one or two drops. He paid for it and left towards his house, still rubbing his head.

An hour later, he appeared again and started thanking you for the effective medicine you gave him. You were happy to help.

You didn't expect him to start bringing other tabaxi, each with a different problem. You kept talking, giving recommendations on how to take care of their health, writing down infusions they could make on their own to alleviate their ailments.

You sold everything you had in one morning. And you even earned more gold than you originally needed. Tabaxi insisted on paying you more for your advice. You refused the extra money, but since you were so busy, they would hand you the extra pieces and walk away.

Now you had a total of 1678 gold pieces. 

Almost skipping around you walked in the shopping district, you entered the first boutique you could see and went right to the male's clothing. Bless tabaxi for being so tall, finding clothes that fit Papyrus would be easy. Out of all the clothes, you picked what you deemed the perfect "adventurer" fashion. A longsleeved smoky black undershirt, chestnut-leather colored gloves and a hooded cape of the same shade of brown, a carrot orange criss-cross shirt with no sleeves, and a pair of dark olive pants. You also found a bedroll and a thick blanket. The store owner looked as you picked things, a smug smile on their face. You just approached and paid for the clothes. They even said they were on sale. It was certainly a lucky day for you!

When you left, happy with what you bought, you didn't get to hear them sighing about young love.

...

You thought your next stop was going to be more challenging. The locksmith.

Well, it was a lot easier than you expected. You just showed the locksmith your phone and told him that you lost the key, displaying the extravagant lock (it was the charger port) and he was fascinated by it and wanted to try opening it. Of course, you agreed but made sure to tell him that what was inside was fragile so he shouldn't use too much strength or it would break.

You were there a whole hour before he gave up. The old tabaxi was visibly frustrated and said he could do nothing about it, that it was out of his expertise. You were sad at this because you were taking advantage of an elderly person and he lost so much time at it. The locksmith thought you were upset about his failure, so he said that he could give you a set of lockpicks for you to try opening it by yourself. You refused his offer at giving them to you and paid him for the lockpicks after taking so much of his time.

The old tabaxi looked happily at you and told you to come over again someday because he would open that lock.

Your day was productive. It went by even faster than you thought. By the time you were done with everything, Serene Dreams was serving dinner. You ate with all the etiquette you learned during the old days of training with your friends in the Dynasty. Stuffing your face with anything edible that was at hand's reach, and finally, with your stomach full of yum yums, you left to your room.

The potion now looked like honey, a sweet and translucent amber color. A good signal for you. If it turned purple, it wouldn't have been good, it would mean the toxins of the spores you used didn't get enough warmth and that would make the potion toxic. You certainly a good job today. Now the only thing you needed was to wait for Papyrus to summon you... somehow.

* * *

The next day, you spent it at the Inn with Violet. The child was spending another boring an uneventful day, and contrary to what you thought, she liked them that way. She would get to rest her head over the counter all day, and no one would tell her anything. You, on the other hand, were bored out of your mind. And worried, you didn't know what to do. Sitting around was boring and Violet wasn't the best at talking. In the end, you also were resting your head over the counter when a voice you recognized talked to you.

"Lady Truthheart, Madame Züngig is requiring your services." You lifted your head only to see Elite standing before you. "You have 5 minutes to bring your products and I will guide you to the manor."

"Uh, sure. Violet, I'll see you later." She didn't bother to lift her head from the counter, she just waved goodbye to you.

You ran upstairs and grabbed your backpack, looking for whatever you didn't sell. A honey hand cream, a couple of relaxing candles, a tincture for anxiety, and some massaging oil. You also grabbed the sleeping potion and the lockpicks. You only needed a couple of minutes alone with Papyrus to hand him the items he requested.

You could do this.

You went downstairs and found Elite waiting at the door, their back towards you. "I am all good to go Elite." They nodded and started walking, their fast and long steps making you start jogging to keep up. The story of your life.

This also meant that you arrived at the manor before you thought.

You weren't ready for this.

Madame Züngig was right in the front door, and she beamed when they saw your face. How "nice". 

"Little Y/N! In Tazziros name, I haven't been this happy to see a human in years!" she took your hand in hers and guided you inside the manor, explaining at a fast rate "Today I was checking on sweet Stretch, and he looked so bad, paler than other times and he is a skeleton!" she really looked worried. "This City needs The Bard, there is no one as talented as him. You need to help me, if he keeps trembling that much, he won't be able to write again" the two of you arrived on the third floor, and she opened the first door at your right. "Stretch, I brought some help" she turned to you "I trust that you will keep his sickness in secret. The citizens can't hear a word about this" she said with a menacing tone.

"Of course, Madame Züngig, they won't hear a word, I will be leaving tomorrow, so... there is no chance for them to know" You smiled turning towards Papyrus. "Stretch? Mr. Bard? May I ask you a few questions?" Sounding and looking worried while he is wearing that silly trunk hose had to be the hardest part of this plan.

"y-yes, it is fine" was that sweat running down his face? Holy Merxis! He is really good at acting.

"Madame? Do you want to stay or would you prefer to wait in your office, I can report to you later about the treatment." Please leave.

"That would be great, little human, I hope the treatment doesn't take too long." 

"Don't worry, Madame, I will use my best medicines to help Stretch" you smiled at her leaving form.

You were about to open your mouth when Papyrus signaled you to stay quiet.

He walked towards you and whispered in your ear "she is out the door."

You nodded and looked over your shoulder "Well Stretch, can you tell me when did the symptoms start?" He looked at you confused but replied anyways "they started yesterday, t-today they just got w-worse."

The sound of Züngig's steps could be heard getting far from the door.

You both looked at the door and smiled.

"did you bring everything?" Papyrus asked.

"Of course, I thought it would be hard, but it wasn't at all. I got really lucky with everything" you took out of your pouch the lockpicks and the sleeping potion. "This is normally not my job, this is an anesthetic, use one drop and they will sleep for at least four hours. It is meant to be used while suturing wounds or for survivors of burns to rest. Make them drink at least 4 drops. I have some clothes ready for you so no one can recognize you, they are in my room in Serene Dreams.

"which room are you staying in?" 

"Room 07?"

"the room with the best pillows, huh? i will come visit you at night" he winked at you. "keep the window open, honey."

"H-honey?" you blushed, no one has called you like that before.

"yup, you didn't know me but you still did everything to help" he smiled at you "you are sweet person, honey."

You just nodded, ignoring how close you two still were. You left him some of the relaxing candles, the massaging oil and would tell Züngig that he had to drink drops of the relaxing tincture.

When Doppel Züngig asked what happened to her bard, you explained to her that his symptoms were the first signs of stress showing. She, on the other hand, felt relieved it was something unharmful and simple. She paid for the medicines and the visit.

You went back to the Inn with 600 gold pieces more in your pocket. 

Now you only had to wait for night time. You decided you would after buying some things to eat during the night.

* * *

The sound of something falling on the floor of your room startled you awake.

You instantly had your crossbow in hand, a tall figure was in front of you.

"honey" the silhouette said.

You lowered the crossbow and pinched the bridge of your nose. "Papyrus, you startled me."

"nyeheheh... sorry about that" he watched as you got out of bed. You took out of your backpack the clothes you bought for him.

"Time to change those clothes, Shakespeare" you grinned knowing exactly what he was thinking "I'll explain how I know about him later, once we are out of town."

"uh huh" he started taking off his doublet "are you going to keep looking?" he said, a smug smirk now on his face.

"Nah, I am going to get back to bed, gotta enjoy these pillows while I can," you got back into bed "I bought you some things to eat, I hope you don't mind a fruit sandwich, there is also some tea with honey for you to drink."

"i like them" he looked towards you "i like honey more than you could imagine."

You replied with a soft hum in affirmation.

* * *

Waking up in the morning was as easy as always. You got up, got your clothes and made your way towards the door.

You looked behind you and found Papyrus sleeping, sitting on the floor with his head on the bed.

You walk to him and called his name, softly. Your voice just a bit above what you would call a whisper.

Apparently it was enough to stir him awake. You pointed to the bed and told him to rest a bit more, and that you were going to take a bath.

He nodded and got in the bed.

While you took a bath, you started thinking of the many things that happened, relaxing at the idea of them being over soon. You would eat breakfast with Papyrus and then go get the permit and you would be good to go.

...

Before you walked back to your room, you informed Violet about your departure. You thanked her for all the help she gave you and you wished her many calm days. She just smiled and left to eat her breakfast. 

"Just hang your key when you leave."

You got inside room 07 fast and quiet. Papyrus was still in the bed, but he opened his left eye and closed it after confirming it was you. You sighed and started putting all things back in your backpack "Papyrus, get up, we have to leave now" now that no one was at the entrance, it was the right moment to leave. "We have to go next door, I'll buy my permit, we can buy food" you looked at his feet "and maybe some boots for you." You kept looking, the clothes you chose fit him better than you expected, you were proud of your choice. "Remember to keep the hood on, okay? Breakfast will have to be a bit later you know, once we are out."

"sure thing, honey" he replied getting out of bed and walked towards the bed putting his hood on.

"Papyrus?"

"hmmm?"

"Can you at least make the bed?" you frowned. Sans was incredibly lazy for a traveler, maybe his brother was the same.

"do i have to?" 

"Yes," you rolled your eyes at him "hurry up, or I'll go without you." You didn't have a chance to turn towards the door when you felt something falling over you.

"you wouldn't leave without me" Papyrus was lending his whole body over you. For a skeleton you didn't expect him to feel so cuddly. It was like you were carrying a giant rag doll, minus the weight, of course. 

"Papyrus," you grunted at him "you weight too much for someone who is all bones and no skin."

"nyeheh" he got up but kept his hands on your shoulders "the bed is done, can we go now, honey?"

"What?" the bed looked good as new "How?!"

Papyrus just opened the door and pushed you out softly. You two walked down quietly, only the clacking sound of Papyrus feet over the floor could be heard. He walked towards the exit while you took time hanging the key.

The day was sunny and the sky was free of any clouds, it made you feel really good. Both of you walked to the building next door and entered. You didn't expect to meet a familiar face inside.

It was your first customer two days ago!

"Look who we have here! The human apothecary who healed me from my morning migraines." He smiled, the faint sound of a purr coming out of him.

"Did your medicine work okay?" you asked approaching with a smile.

"Like a charm! I have never felt this good in the mornings but enough of me" he put both hands over the counter "what can I do for you?"

"I was hoping to get an Othein Travel Permit, I was told one could purchase them here."

"But of course, just come here and fill this with your information" not even Aklirim was safe of forms. You handed it over to the tabaxi and he looked through it, apparently happy with what he saw.

"Okay, I just need the number of people that are going to travel with you and your family seal" your heart dropped at this.

"The family seal? Is it necessary?" he nodded.

"When you arrive at Merry's Peninsula, they need proof of who you are, the fastest way to know is having your family seal. It also prevents some criminals and runaways from getting to Othein and the Peninsula is kept away from any trouble with families." That kinda made sense to you. Kinda. 

"I don't have my family seal with me, due to very specific reasons it has to be kept at home." No need for anyone to know who were your parents. It seems like traveling to Othein would have to wait for you. You really wanted to get your hands on Othein's ingredients and bring them back home. You sighed. "It is okay, I will come back with it, hopefully."

The tabaxi looked at you and then over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing at Papyrus, he got closer to you and in a low voice told you "I will give you the permit, but you have to get your family's seal on it or else, I will be in trouble. I'm just making this exception because you helped me, okay? Make sure to come back and have more of that tincture with you."

You nodded frantically at this. 

"Is it a permit only for you or multiple people?" he pointed with his tail at Papyrus. "If it is for one, then it will be 500 gold, if it is for a group it will be 1000 gold"

"it will be for a group, sir" Papyrus replied.

"Uh... sure, group. Yup, what he said." You started counting the gold in the counter. Years of making business made you fast at it.

"Okay, your group name will need to go here, the signatures of each member over here and their family seal's will have to be under each signature, okay Apothecary Lady?"

"Yes, it is, thank you so much, sir," paying and putting the precious piece of paper inside your backpack "I will be seeing you with some more of that tincture, on the house." You promised him and yourself to visit again.

"I'll be looking forward to it." And with that, you and Papyrus left, just in time for the shopping district to start opening their businesses.

You looked at Papyrus' feet and started comparing them to your little ones, with the hood up, you couldn't see what expression was he making at what you were doing. Satisfied with what you saw, you told him to wait and sprinted to the same boutique as yesterday and looked around for boots. You needed ones that looked durable and comfortable. You found two pairs on his size, with the same shade of brown as the cape. The big difference was that one pair had laces an the other a belt. Looking at them all around, you thought about the clothes you bought for him. You decided on the one with laces, turning a bit you also grabbed a pair of socks for extra comfort. You went to the counter, and paid for them, full-price and left immediately. You were in a hurry, you were really close to leaving that you almost tripped on your way to Papyrus. You looked at him and made him sit down, explaining it would be faster if you helped him. You started by putting the socks on his feet, unaware of the bright orange blush spreading on his cheeks, then putting the boots on and tying the laces.

Satisfied with your work, you started pulling him from one store to another, buying things you thought you would need, honey and walnut bread, cheese, ham, eggs, pears and lemon, enough food to last you at least two days, plus another wooden bowl, spoon, and a cup. Once you got everything, you started walking a bit hurried, Papyrus' hand still in yours since the moment you started your shopping spree.

The exit was in front of you, the same guards that you saw when you entered looking as relaxed as always. You felt Papyrus' tighten his grip on your hand. You returned the gesture to him in reassurance. The guards just looked at you two and closed their eyes again.

You continued walking with Papyrus without looking back, making your way towards the Faehrin river, the same one you followed the moment you left your home. You finally stopped at the last place where you set camp for the night, releasing Papyrus' hand and breathed in.

Only to scream. The same way you did back home to release your stress.

"I'm not doing any of that again, okay Papyrus?"

He could only nod after your sudden display.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **The Dazzling City of Tazziros, the Flippant, is also known as The Dazzling City and by others like The Mice Trap.**
> 
> **Tazziros was a young Dragonborn when he first arrived at the previously called Constellation City. His irreverent attitude and friendliness was something new for the Tabaxi. He didn't respect the status and walked all over the city, spending time with people of any status, inviting the poor to feast in the best restaurants or convincing the young heirs to drink some mead with him at the local tavern. The noble Tabaxi, tired of him, decided to show him the way out and hired mercenaries that could get him out of the city and get rid of Tazziros.**
> 
> **They never expected Tazziros to return after 3 months, with over 20 elite warriors, carrying the heads of the mercenaries, to introduce himself as the leader of the Dragonborn race.**
> 
> **Noble Tabaxi learned their lesson and started changing their haughty attitude towards outsiders and the poor of the city, going as far as to rebuild the whole city into the dazzling place it is today.**
> 
> **Of course, such brightness works to blind visitors from the whole truth the whole place hides.**
> 
> **Doppel Züngig, the cat's meow of the place is admired by more than her activity as a Maecenas. But that is a story for the next chapter.**
> 
> * * *
> 
> Well... another long chapter lol.
> 
> But it was worth it! You found Papyrus!
> 
> Just... not the one you heard about... You found the swap version. 
> 
> The next chapter will be from Stretch's PoV and you will get to hear more about his story. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that you have a nice day.
> 
> Laterz~


	5. Have a Seat Misery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today, we have Stretch's PoV of the events and about how he ended in the claws of Madame Doppel Züngig, how Mr. Lost knows him and we will understand why the Dazzling City is also known as The Mice Trap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title this time was the song Have a Seat Misery by Shayfer James.
> 
> I hope you are all taking good care. I know for some people staying at home is a bit suffocating, so, hopefully, I'll try to provide you a bit of entertainment during this time.

**Stretch's PoV**

It has been a week and a couple of days since Y/N helped me escape from the manor. Heh, since the day we met, she has been nothing but helpful and kind, even when I put her through so much stress. I can still feel her scream in my ears, and I don't even have those. We've been walking for most of the day, stopping only to eat our meals and for her to gather ingredients. I tried to help with that, but since the first things I picked were kinda... toxic, she just left me to do whatever I wanted. 

Sometimes, I play my ukulele and notice her humming along and if she can, swings a bit on her spot, stopping to check if I am staring. So far, I haven't been caught, so she keeps doing it.

Other times she tells me about her life. I can notice she is trying to befriend me, and I can see she is sincere about it. If only she knew what her SOUL says, she would blush at getting caught redhanded. 

**Y/N**

**  
LV: 1  
EXP: 0**

**HP: 200/200  
ATK: 90  
DEF: 120**  


***She is curious about your story but will wait for you to bring it up.**

When she told me that she used to live in Ebott, I was surprised. What are the odds that the only human Sans and I met is from the same place we are?

She looked surprised too when I said Sans and I lived in the Underground, right below Mt. Ebott. She didn't know about the existence of monsters.

"Sans didn't mention it when he told me what happened to you all..." Y/N pouted. I didn't understand why he didn't either, normally he would jump at the chance of making a friend and would always get happy to find something that there was something he had in common with them.

...

Now, while we walk, I find myself looking at her again. Her SOUL. Her stats, specifically, made me feel curious. A human from our world wouldn't have stats that high unless they would have gone on a killing spree. So I mentioned she looked strong.

She laughs "Well Papyrus, I had no choice in that," she smirks, a spark of playfulness in her eyes "You will understand once we arrive at my home."

I agreed to travel with Y/N while we tried to find Sans. Apparently, he was looking for me all over the continent, so the best chance we had at meeting him was traveling to The Golden Peninsula of Merry Tale, the Thirsty. And if he didn't find me, he would start looking for me at Othein and to get there, he would need to visit Merry's Peninsula. It was the best chance we got. And she was grateful for it, she liked traveling, but she got used to having people around. Still, Y/N made sure to clarify that as soon as we found Sans it was our choice if we wanted to keep traveling on our own to find our way back.

"how long do we have until we get there, honey?"

Staring at the sky, the river, and the faraway mountains, her tongue licking her lips slowly as she focused. She did that a lot, every time she was focusing.

It was cute.

"If we continue at this pace, I would say we would take about 2 weeks more? A couple of days give or take" she nods to herself "It seems like we will make it back home in record time. It took me almost a month and a half to get to Tazziros' City" she tilts her head "Now, I was traveling at a slower pace."

"that eager to show me your home?"

"I am! It has been so long since I had an outsider as a friend. I can't wait for you to meet my parents."

"don't regret it when i do" I decided to tease her a bit "they'll tell me all about you, honey. even the embarrassing ones."

"I won't be the one regretting it," Y/N tells me "after all, I have to tell them the story of how I saved you, Princess~"

"nyeheheh" thrumming the strings of my ukulele, I laugh at it softly "you didn't carry me in your arms yet, my prince."

"I thought I was Honey." 

"you are the honey prince now" she beams at this.

"I love that." I think I have an insect inside my ribcage again. I keep telling myself that these days. "That reminds me, you can call me Pixie too if you want."

"pixie?" she is cute and so little, and the way she brightens the places around her. I can see why.

"Mom called me that when she found me, and it stuck around. Now everyone at the Dynasty knows me by that nickname" she pauses "they still call me by the other tho."

"what is the other one?" 

"Nothing you need to hear, Princess."

"is that your name for me now?"

"Yeah." she looks at me and then turns her gaze to the road, her smile isn't reaching her eyes now.

We walk in silence and notice the sun starting to set. Y/n says that we should stop and set our camp before we ran out of light. The preparations are made quietly and we eat dinner in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company.

After we finish, the sounds of the river, the leaves in the wind, and my ukulele are the only ones we can hear.

"Papyrus?" It looks like she can't keep her curiosity in check anymore. 

"i thought i was princess now" I keep playing with my eyes closed, and hear her chuckle fade away with the notes.

"I was wondering about something, you know since we talked about nicknames and all that."

"what is it?" I have an idea about where this is going.

"Why did **Züngig** " the distaste when she says that name was palpable "call you Stretch?"

Sighing, I stop playing. I knew she has been curious.

"because i told her that was my name"

"Oh, okay" What?

"aren't you gonna ask why?"

"No," seriously, that's all? She has been dying to ask for days about what happened.

She continues interrupting my thoughts "I admit I'm curious and want to know more but I want you to tell me when you are ready to talk" she plays with the hems of her sleeves "talking seemed to help Sans with whatever was in his mind. I just thought that due to the circumstances maybe it would help you too" the fire in front of us was now reflected in her eyes, the sleeves left alone "I understand how it is living in a place where you don't feel... safe." I decided that I didn't like the way her eyes obscured at that.

She looks at me for a few moments and sighs "Let's go to sleep, we have another busy day of gratifying walking to do." She walks away, behind trees and bushes to get ready for the night leaving me to my thoughts. After all, I don't sleep much.

...

The next day, I wake up before her. Again.

We sleep near each other so that we don't get too cold during the night. It is nice to wake up seeing a friendly face after a nightmare.

They are getting worse and the contents are getting mixed. The places, the people, and the phrases all morph into a big mess that together feels terrifying. Now it is not only my memories of a Genocide timeline the ones that wake me up, no, now I have to deal with the ones I got at The Mice Trap. I had good memories of Tazziros' but the most recent ones weren't as good.

I choose to focus on Honey's face. The nickname couldn't fit her any better. She smells like it. The scent of the golden syrup and chamomile flowers follow her all day. I felt it the day we met. 

Maybe that's what made me trust her so easily.

Unlike the Tabaxi, she had the aroma of nature on her, not the artificial one of the perfumes that were all around the city, masking clues of the things they were doing.

Suddenly, she pulls her arm out of her bedroll and reaches to her phone, sliding her finger across the screen. She sits up and looks at the screen only to grimace a bit at it and rolls her eyes. She looks towards me and approaches, covering me a bit more and pulling away with a soft smile. She didn't notice me looking.

She backs away and makes her joints pop. A cracking sound that sends a shiver down my spine and straight to my SOUL which only makes me pull the blanket covering my face in a poor attempt to hide my burning blush.

Does she have any idea of what she is doing?

I doubt it. After all, she seems to blush when one whispers in her ear or gets too close to her. The next thing you know is that she is putting your socks on. 

I know that for humans is not a big deal, but if she knew what socks were for skeletons, would she blush?

I sighed and sat on the bedroll.

"Morning, Papyrus" her hair was wet, the scent of honey and chamomile invading my senses "how did you sleep?" How much time did I spend thinking about her again? She even changed her clothes.

"it was nice" I start getting up "you were talking in your sleep."

"Wha-?" her eyes start widening and there it is, a blush blooming on your face "Are you serious?"

"no, i'm papyrus." 

She stops and starts laughing "I can't believe I fell for that."

"you won't believe it when you fall for me either."

That only makes you howl with laughter "Geez, clean up, okay? Breakfast will be done soon and we have lots to walk and I want to break my record."

Yup, she has no idea the effect she is having on me.

...

Another couple of days pass, we talk, joke around and, of course, walk. Like we are doing now. We just had lunch, and as she said before _"Papyrus, we do not stop till nightfall."_ There was time to fill while we walked.

"honey?"

"Papyrus?" I breathe in. It was time.

"can you hear me out?"

She lowers her pace just a bit, enough for me to notice, and then retakes the one she had before, only that her posture seems solemn "Of course."

She knew how we got here, Sans already told her, so I decided to skip that part. 

What she didn't know was how I ended in the claws of Doppel Züngig.

* * *

_After falling through the void, Papyrus opened his eye sockets. The first thing he noticed was that it was nighttime. The second was a salty smell in the air. Sitting up, he still felt dizzy. It was his first time going through the void in years._

_He looked around and found the moon, big and silver shining and reflecting herself in the biggest lake Papyrus has ever seen._

_He soon realized it was no lake, it was the ocean. He has never seen it before, at least not in person. He got closer to it, not noticing when he stood up. An enormous cliff was in front of him and he chose to sit on it and admire the moon._

_It was a beautiful sight, one straight out of the books he read._

_He had no idea where he was. Or any idea about where his brother was._

_Surely Sans is crying now, running and looking for him everywhere, turning every stone upside down to find him, just like when they were kids._

_Papyrus couldn't hear his big brother._

_He got up and walked away from the cliff, he needed to find his brother soon, he could feel in his SOUL that they were far from home._

_So he tried to call to Sans' SOUL with his own._

_But there was no answer._

_His magic wasn't answering. He started walking, it was time to find some information._

...

_It was past noon when he finally found some sort of civilization. The sound of the ocean was long gone and replaced by one of the blades of grass moving with the wind and his steps._

_He walked through the gates and greeted the guards at the entrance._

_They were catpeople. Great. He was definitely not home anymore. Maybe this proved that theory about other universes. Or maybe it was a timeline where felines took over and they were the predominant race._

_Better be prepared for anything, he couldn't use magic and couldn't CHECK his SOULs. That was inconvenient. He believed people could do anything they proponed. That didn't mean it was always good._

_That's when he spotted an old looking catperson setting huge vases with flowers out of a shop, so naturally, he walked to him._

_"you need a hand with that?" some elders wanted to feel useful and disliked help. It was offensive for them. There was nothing wrong with a little help, he never got why people got mad._

_"Sure, young skeleton," the catperson agreed as if a talking skeleton was the most normal thing, and maybe it was at this place "Finally someone with manners. The young Tabaxi just look at me prepare every day, take heavy loads of flowers, vases, water and just keep saying 'poor old thing' BAH, none of them even try to help." And he just kept going. It was as if Papyrus question opened Pandora's box. He never heard someone talk so much. Maybe Jerry. This old man was tolerable tho._

_No matter the time or dimension, no one would be as insufferable as Jerry._

_"You have been taught well, young skeleton" the old Tabaxi (by now he learned that was what catpeople were called) "where is your summoner to repay him?"_

_"uh... i don't have... one of those" would that be a problem?_

_"Oh. Sorry" the old feline scratched behind his ear "When I was younger skeletons had to be with their necromancer" and so he set in another rant about irresponsible magic users, on how, surely, a follower of Paint Stroke wouldn't be like this._

_Papyrus had no idea about what he was talking about, he just kept agreeing with the old cat. You know, playing it safe._

_When the old tabaxi stopped for good, he told Papyrus to wait and handed him some money. "Thanks, young traveler skeleton, may Tazziros bless your kindness."_

_"sure, old cat. if you need anything, i will be around for a while, 'kay?"_

_Papyrus turned around and kept walking, looking in awe the buildings around, searching for another person who could need help._

_The flower shop owner was right, he had been taught well. No one in Snowdin knew about odd jobs more than the skeleton brothers, and now that seemed like it would work to his advantage. What he needed was food, a place to stay and information. Luckily, the Tabaxi looked friendly._

_He knew something was off about them, but for now, he would stay on the friendly side. If he could get his magic back, then he would be able to find what was behind their smiles without exposing himself to danger._

_He needed to find his brother soon. Sans trusted people too easily and maybe he didn't have the same luck as him and found dangerous people._

_"If you keep clenching your teeth that way, you will break them, young egg." A smooth voice said by his side. and a bell tingled as if teasing his lack of awareness._

_"egg?" The Cheshire smile of the raven-haired Tabaxi widened at the attention._

_"Yes, you look like a funny egg, a nice skeleton, a kind soul" he handed a furry hand out and winked "Lost, at your service."_

_"papyrus" he shook back the hand._

_"I saw what you did for the old whiskers at the flower shop, the poor thing, his back has been bad for years but no one helps him" he chuckled "No one dares to try! He ends up chewing everyone's ear off" his tail swung side to side "Well, now that I look at you, you wouldn't have that problem._

_"nyeheheheh" Papyrus was starting to like this funny cat._

_"So, do you need help? You are making a bit of honor to my name, young egg." The bonebrows of Papyrus rose a bit in question._

_"You know, you look lost" he chuckled once again at his own joke. Papyrus did too._

_"i was hoping to find a library, mr. lost" If he ever found Sans, he would have to introduce the two and if his older brother found out he didn't show respect to someone that helped him, he would have to sit through another of Sans' speeches fighting the urge of closing his eyes_

_"Library? Hmmm, didn't take you for a wise head, Stretch."_

_"stretch?"_

_"You are too long to be a normal egg, so you are a stretched egg. Stretch for short, don't forget it" he turned around "Walk behind me and I will guide you to the library, stay close and keep your eyes on me, Stretch."_

* * *

Papyrus stopped here, nightfall had arrived and they needed to rest soon.

"I met Mr. Lost too! He was charming" she claps "He helped me to find my way to the inn and told me about you, a pretty summarized version, tibia honest" I still can't get over her liking puns, but from her sound funny "he was the first to confirm to me what my parents said about the Dazzling City."

"what did they say?"

"That their friendliness was hiding something. He implied that was one of the reasons you two know each other" she looks to her feet "I didn't get to hear him tell me that story..."

"you're lucky that i know it too, right?" her eyes brightened in happiness.

I might need sunglasses or else she will leave me blind with how much she seems to shine every time she gets happy.

"Papyrus, you better get ready" a hint of determination set in her eyes "because now that you said that, I better get my story."

This little pixie reminded me so much of Sans. He said I was amazing at telling a story and would ask me to read to him.

_"IF YOU KEEP READING ME STORIES, ONE DAY YOU WILL BE AS MAGNIFICENT AS I AM READING THEM PAPY."_

My bro was truly the coolest. He was incredibly good at reading stories, I still remember how he would make voices for every character in Peek-a-Boo with Fluffy Bunny. It was my favorite.

He probably wanted someone to read stories to him too when we were little.

"we better sleep soon then, i will tell you more tomorrow."

"Yay! Goodnight, Papyrus!"

"night, honey."

* * *

_For a couple of weeks, Papyrus kept walking around, working here and there, doing favors for the Tabaxi. He didn't have too much time to spare but what little time he got, he used it to read._

_The library was a magnificent collection, he had a wide range of topics to choose, but he had a deeper interest in the ones on magic and tales about the deities and a particular group of people that was named in everything, from cooking to architecture. The Eleven Deviants._

_The Eleven Deviants were 11 people, each from a different race, that traveled around the world and their mere presence changed the world around them. Each month was named after them and nine cities took across the two continents were said to be the places where most settled._

_Athana, the Ethereal._

_Merxis, the Insignificant._

_Merry Tale, the Thirsty._

_Tazziros, the Flippant._

_Syrlet, the Absent-minded._

_Paint Stroke, the Manipulator._

_Kraveith, the Homewrecker._

_Akshoom, the Saint._

_Bellewyn, the Cacophonous._

_The other two didn't settle for a specific place. It was as if they just disappeared._

_Garland Evernight, the Author._

_Iriniah, the Credulous._

_Papyrus was intrigued and wanted to know more, but first, he wanted to get his magic back. He needed it. None of the things he had would make a good arcane focus, so he settled for the next best option._

_Making his own._

_In his many jobs around the city, he noticed a small number of magic users, some used them to grow prettier plants, others to talk with animals and most to infuse a weapon or piece of armor with a special effect. Not a single scholar was in sight, so it would be difficult to find one that could help him to make the right arcane focus._

_Or so he thought._

_After speaking about his predicament to his friend, Mr. Lost, he said "Stretch, wait two days, it will be her turn to be out soon and if anyone can help you it is ol' Topsy." giving his trademark Cheshire smile he told his goodbyes to his friend._

_..._

_"My, my, kitty Lost wasn't joking when he said you were all bones." A brown tabby Tabaxi was in the place Papyrus used to meet with Mr. Lost._

_"topsy, right? i'm pa-"_

_"I know who you are, Stretch! Kitty Lost has been talking about his new buddy for weeks." She had a high-pitched voice, it sounded just like the bell in her collar._

_Mr. Lost had the same one._

_"where is mr. lost?" he questioned._

_"It is not kitty Lost time out. It is Topsy Turvy day, young egg."_

_"kitty lost?" He couldn't contain the mocking tone._

_"Of course, I used to change his diapers decades ago!" leaning with one hand near her mouth she whispered in a secretive way to the younger "Between you and me, he isn't a solid black tabaxi" she looked side to side "He has a white spot of fur in the shape of a feather on the inner side of his left leg."_

_She stepped back and made a proud pose, "The legendary Nanny Topsy Turvy knows it all, young Stretch."_

_"would the legendary Nanny help me making an arcane fo-" he didn't have the chance to finish the sentence before he felt a furry hand cover his teeth._

_"I will tell you all you need to know about babysitting and cooking, Stretch" her pupils were almost imperceptible._

_He only nodded. For some reason, she had to keep it as a secret and even if Papyrus respected that, he felt worried._

_He could only hope this wouldn't bring him any trouble._

_..._

_Topsy Turvy, legendary Nanny who knows it all._

_From the little bits and pieces of information she gave Papyrus, he found out what was her real passion and from where she got all the seemingly infinite information she had._

_Topsy Turvy used to be a bard during her youth and later became one of the best luthiers in the continent._

_The reason for her retirement remained a mystery._

_"Don't you worry about it, or else you will find out why they also call this city The Mice Trap."_

_With the skills of Topsy and Papyrus broad knowledge, they both worked hard. She would disappear one day and Mr. Lost would appear to hand Papyrus the next material he needed. And so piece by piece for two weeks they finished making a new instrument._

_New for the Tabaxi, but well known for Papyrus._

_A ukulele._

_Simple, melodic, relaxing and recognizable by anyone that came from their world._

_He played and sang the songs he already knew. He played melodies that came to his mind and he talked about home. About the Underground._

_He told the story of how two brothers lost each other._

_And the Tabaxi listened, cheered and cried to his tunes._

_His magic was back, and he didn't like one bit what he saw._

_Everyone's LV was so high._

_But compared to their flavor text, that was the less important detail._

**_* I miss my family._ **

**_* I don't wanna be taken away._ **

**_* If only I had more money, they could see the light more often._ **

**_* My income is enough, right? I won't go bankrupt, right?_ **

**_* The madame has her eyes on you._ **

_Something was very wrong, and he didn't like it._

_Weeks later, when he saw his friend, he didn't doubt before bringing it up._

**_Lost Tale, Heir of the House of Tazziros._ **

**_LV: 7  
_ ** **_EXP: 300  
  
_ **

**_HP: 200/440  
ATK: 200  
DEF: 50_ **

**_* He needs to warn you about the dangers of his city._ **

_"mr. lost, i got my magic back" a casual start._

_"That's what I heard, Stretch, the tiny guitar looks hilarious for someone your height. I've seen gnomes with bagpipes and you have a tiny guitar" he laughed._

_Papyrus wasn't._

_"why do you think you need to warn me about the city?"_

_The blank stare on Lost's face looked so out of character that for a moment Papyrus thought he broke him._

_And in part, he did._

_"... Did your magic tell you that, Papyrus?"_

_"it told me many things, mr. heir" at this, the tail of Tazziros' heir moved so fast that emitted a sound that could only resemble a whip. He gripped the bell on his collar tightly, as if he wanted to pull it out but hesitated._

_"Listen to me carefully. You need to get out of this place soon, Papyrus. You are getting the attention of the wrong person and" he started playing with claws, making them glint in the light of the sun setting "if you stay any longer, you will be locked in this Mice Trap. Just like Topsy and... just like me." The feline started scratching the back of his head "You know how some days Topsy is out and others I am?" a nod came from the skeleton "It is because only one of us can get out of 'The Mice Trap'."_

_"Papyrus, the Tabaxi, we are all mice in her eyes. This city isn't full of rich Tabaxi, the streets weren't always like this! There were roads full of dirt and weeds growing in the wild" he plucked a handful of flowers "Not this magic grown shit! People used to sing, tell stories about everything they wanted." Lost looked down. "Until she took over. I was too young to do it when my parents passed away. I needed someone to take over while Topsy raised me. That's when she came and The House of Tazziros fell. She was well known amongst the people and we all thought she would do a fantastic job," he chuckled darkly "until people went missing. Tabaxi of all ages started disappearing. Some got locked away, others got sold. Others... let's say part of them became other beings or parts of crazy experiments."_

_Papyrus couldn't believe what he was hearing, he knew he had to go but..._

_"Topsy lead bards into protests and fights to open the eyes of the other Tabaxi, but it was late. All of them had at least one person they loved in her claws. When they came to my manor for Topsy, I fought with all I had. And it was all for nothing. We are both trapped, locked away. Over 300 Tabaxi locked in the same place, without enough resources to keep them alive. Not because we don't have them, but because they are kept from us." Lost started getting ready, his time to be out was almost over._

_"Topsy and I, we get some sort of VIP treatment. No one will help us and we don't have access to the right tools to escape. Do you know how easy everything would be if I had lockpicks? But no one will lend them to me."_

_"i can get them for you" if he could help in some way, Papyrus would do it._

_Lost shouted" I know!" he clenched his fist before lowering his voice "I know, but the risk is too much. Do you know what would happen if Doppel Züngig found out?" he turned giving his back to the younger and now paler skeleton._

_"You better stay out of her claws, okay? I'll see you another day, Stretch." With a wave behind his back, Lost's figure disappeared in the distance._

_Unknowingly to Lost, Papyrus was already in Madame Züngig's claws. He had been for almost a month._

_The elder Tabaxi paid him to write his stories, lent him a room in her manor. She became his Maecenas. The kind white said that in exchange for entertainment, she would pay him enough money to travel anywhere._

_He planned to make enough to start looking for Sans._

_..._

_The moment he told Züngig he was ready to leave, she looked sad._

**_Doppel Züngig, head of the House of Züngig._ **

**_LV: 3  
EXP: 30_ **

**_HP: 70/70  
ATK: 30  
DEF: 60_ **

**_*She is sad this moment came so fast._ **

_"Would you let me hold your instrument? I was always curious about it" her sugary voice said. It was a small request and after that, he could just take it and go._

_"sure" he handed her the ukulele. It was a grave mistake._

_The last thing Papyrus saw was the strange shape of Elite's shoes._

* * *

"You handed it to her?!" she shouts at me and pulls at the two low braids she made while hearing to the story, "Mr. Lost told you to be careful, and you handed your arcane focus to her just like that?!"

"in my defense, the flavor text of her SOUL confused me" she tilts her head.

"What is flavor text? And why does it sound different when you or Sans mentioned souls? And what is LV, and EXP?" Well, time for an explanation.

"monsters like sans and i can CHECK other creatures SOULs. HP, ATK, DEF, EXP and LV, and they all mean something." I make a pause to make sure she is paying close attention. "HP stands for HoPe, it means how much damage you can take before dying" a tiny gasp comes from her "ATK stands for ATtacK or how much damage you can inflict on another person, DEF stands for DEFense which determines how resistant you are to ATtacKs" I didn't notice when you covered your mouth with your hands "EXP stands for EXecution Points it is a way of quantifying the amount of pain you brought to others when you kill someone, your EXP increases" I sigh, taking in your silent form. You should know it now, I continue giving the speech I know by memory now, she keeps looking at me, her gaze moving to the right a bit "When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for "Level of Violence." A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others."

It is eerily silent after I finish explaining. And I can only see her looking down, letting the information sink.

"Okay... I think I understand better now. Sans..." she bites her bottom lip "He mentioned how he didn't get out after finding out the LV of the people at the Sanctum."

"what... what was the lowest one?"

"Five." 

Another uncomfortable silence passed by us. Luckily, we had her curiosity to distract us.

"What is flavor text tho?"

"it describes what your SOUL is feeling, what you are thinking."

"Like mind reading?"

"nyeheh no, honey, it is just the outer layer" I pause and think of a good example "kinda like when you say you want something sweet to eat, your SOUL would say what you want to eat."

"So... it would say something more specific the more I speak."

"something like that, some wishes can appear too."

"Like what?"

"like when you meet someone you want to be friends with, your SOUL would read "she wants to befriend you."

"Ohhhh, so something personal, but not **too** personal."

"exactly, unless you started talking."

"Okay, okay, I understand now" her soft smile is back "What happened after you woke up, Papyrus? You know, after Elite knocked you out."

"well..."

* * *

_Doppel locked the door below his feet, only a circular window present in the big attic of her manor._

_The young skeleton was kept in there to work, to create, to write._

_She would lock him, feed him and let the Tabaxi see their star. Her guards always around. No one would let The Bard out of the city._

_If only he heard to Mr. Lost's warning. He could have gotten out on his own._

_There was nothing he could do now but obey her orders and wait for a chance. Any chance._

_His last story was about one of the first landscapes he saw in Aklirim._

_Now, he was supposed to be about how grandiose was Züngig._

_He couldn't bring himself to do it and she was getting impatient._

_"i can't write like that, i need some more fresh air."_

_"Stretch, dear, you had enough air yesterday," her yellow eyes were shining, menacingly._

_"well, i need more, that place is too stuffy and dusty" I don't want to write about you._

_She slammed her hands over the desk from where she was talking made me sit on the loveseat behind me"You have to finish this, we had a deal! If you aren't going to fulfill your part of it, then I guess I will have to disp-"_

_Knocking could be heard on the door. "Yes? Who is it?" if Doppel could shoot lasers, Elite would be dead by now._

_"Madame Züngig, it is I, Elite, a guest has arrived and wishes to talk with you."_

_Doppel clenched her fist and let out an exasperated sigh "Is the guest with you, Elite?"_

_"Yes, Madame, the guest is with me."_

_"Let them in." Doppel sat on her big chair._

* * *

"Oh! That was me! I was the guest, right?" her cheeky smile made it obvious she knew.

"yes, it was you, honey"

"I knew it!"

If only you **knew.**

* * *

_Entering the room was a little human, her posture straight. The words she exchanged with Doppel flying over my skull._

_Your ponytail moved with the involuntary shiver you got. Did you feel me staring? No, I doubted you did._

_You shivered at something Doppel did or said._

_You turned towards me and looked at me, your (e/c) orbs studying me, your gaze lowering and a smirk appeared on your face._

_I couldn't help but frown, I already knew I looked ridiculous. Honestly, I wouldn't mind wearing it as a joke to bring some laughs, but I had to wear this for way longer than I wanted._

_"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there" your voice was so relaxing, not a scream like the citizens gave me now. It was calming and warm, a whisper of a summer breeze caressing the leaves._

_I breathed in. You brought with you the scent of honey and chamomile._

_Doppel chose that moment to shut the door, making me exhale at the surprise and you for who knows what reason._

_When you looked at me and smiled, the memory of the moon reflecting in the ocean came to me._

_You couldn't imagine the surprise and fear I felt when you asked if my name was, well, my name._

_Could you imagine the happiness you brought by letting me know Sans was alive and looking for me?_

_I was waiting for a chance to escape._

_I was given a beacon of hope._

* * *

"Skip the part when we met, I wanna know what happened after I left."

"you don't wanna know what i thought of you?"

"Nah, I know enough."

"oh?"

"Yes," she smiles "You saw your Honey Prince about to rescue you from that furry dragon."

"not much happened, i just acted like i was sick and i knew she wouldn't alarm people so she would call you."

"Yeah, yeah, but what about the escape?"

"oh that part, well, i waited after you left and..."

* * *

_"Oh dear, I didn't know you were so sick." Züngig's tail swung behind her_ _"Tell you what, join me and Elite for some tea, she mentioned you needed to use that relaxing tincture, you can take it with me and Elite during dinner."_

_It was evident she didn't trust the apothecary._

_"now?" Papyrus was shaking in anger at how she would act as if it wasn't her fault. Even if he wasn't sick, but at any point, he would have gotten sick._

_"Yes, follow me."_

_"o-okay."_

_They walked downstairs and arrived at the office, and right behind them, Elite arrived with their dinner and drinks._

_No honey was in sight._

_They started to talk casually about the most **horrendous** things. _

_All the Tabaxi in The Mice Trap, the prettiest looking manor of the Dazzling City, were things in their tongues._

_They decided who, how many and how much of each "Mice" they could sell._

_Elite laughed at their Madame's "jokes" about making an auction on a poor Tabaxi kitten heart._

_Papyrus felt sick, thankfully, he was made of magic. The topic during dinner got rid of his appetite and he avoided eating._

_At least with so many jokes, they didn't notice Papyrus pouring drops of the potion in their drinks._

_And by the end of dinner, both were already asleep, at least for 20 hours each._

_Papyrus got up and using the lockpicks, he got his ukulele and therefore his magic back._

_Maybe he couldn't teleport as Sans could, but he had something just as useful now._

_He could bend the fabric of space, replacing the molecules of one place with his._

_It was almost like teleporting, only that at a shorter distance._

_He got out of the manor, ridiculous cape left behind, ridiculous clothing on, and carefully, he got to The Mice Trap._

_Papyrus found the places where Topsy and Lost were kept captive. What he saw, was indescribable. How the place didn't drive them crazy was a miracle. The smell, the sights on it, the lack of space._

_His attic was only dusty._

_This little and personal piece of hell was... it was too much._

_At least it could be over._

_He appeared behind Lost and placed the lockpicks on his handcuffed fingers._

_"i told you i would bring them."_

_Lost's fist clenched so tight that his claws pierced his skin a bit as if he couldn't believe that he had the key to freedom in his hand. The skeleton moved to leave._

_"Papyrus, no, Stretch?"_

_"yes?"_

_"Thanks, you didn't have to but thanks."_

_"don't thank me, a little lady helped me."_

* * *

"I didn't do anything tho." 

"well, after that, you already know everything."

"Hmmm... well, I am satisfied with the storytelling. You are very good at it, Papyrus."

"nyeheh i learned from the best" I sighed happily "my brother is so cool."

"I don't know, you are a skull skeleton too."

"that was lame"

"Oh, shut up, trunk hose."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Stretch is a College of Lore Bard!**
> 
> **Bards of the College of Lore know something about most things, collecting bits of knowledge from sources as diverse as scholarly tomes and peasant tales. Whether singing folk ballads in taverns or elaborate compositions in royal courts, these bards use their gifts to hold audiences spellbound. When the applause dies down, the audience members might find themselves questioning everything they held to be true, from their faith in the priesthood of the local temple to their loyalty to the king.**
> 
> **The loyalty of these bards lies in the pursuit of beauty and truth, not in fealty to a monarch or following the tenets of a deity. A noble who keeps such a bard as a herald or advisor knows that the bard would rather be honest than politic.**
> 
> **The college's members gather in libraries and sometimes in actual colleges, complete with classrooms and dormitories, to share their lore with one another. They also meet at festivals or affairs of state, where they can expose corruption, unravel lies, and poke fun at self-important figures of authority.**
> 
> * * *
> 
> I thought I disliked The Mice Trap when I got the idea of it, but now that I got to write it, I hate it and I love that. As the author, I love the concept, as a person, I hate the place!
> 
> Next Chapter, we will return to The Obsidian Dynasty and will get to know a bit more about the place where the reader grew up and its people. And also, we will see another key character appear.
> 
> Don't worry, we will know about how the swap bros ended in Aklirim. For now, our poor Reader doesn't know about the AUs.
> 
> It is a little headcanon of me that Stretch doesn't need to sleep much just like UT Papyrus, the problem is that he can't fall asleep easily because he is a light sleeper and when he manages to sleep, he gets nightmares most of the time.  
> Now, Blueberry sleeps as much as UT Sans but he does it in a pretty strict schedule. He can't be seen as lazy!
> 
> I hope you all liked this chapter and look forward to the next one.
> 
> Remember to stay determined.
> 
> Laterz~


	6. Fist by Fist (sacralize or strike)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After two months and a half, you finally return to the place where your adventure began, The Obsidian Dynasty of Merxis, the Insignificant.
> 
> You are eager to show your skeletal companion the place you are honored to call home and secretly wonder how will they react to him, especially, your family.
> 
> Unbeknownst to you, your parents are feeling the same way about how will you react to their new guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been looking for a song to make me go "This is it!" for days, and then Powerwolf knocked on my door like "Do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Savior?"
> 
> And I said yes, lol.
> 
> I am kinda nervous about this chapter, I just hope I got the essence of the character right.

You were almost skipping around, your steps were light and cheerful. After weeks of traveling alongside the river, you finally entered The Oath Valley. Any outsider would be confused by the woods in the valley, crystals protruded from the ground casting different lights around so when the sun changed positions, so the lights did give a whole new perspective of the forest. Luckily for you and your companion, you were no outsider, at least not anymore. During your youth, you couldn't count how many times you got lost inside, Goliath children knew the way back even better than you. It was honestly frustrating. It became your goal to know the whole Dynasty as the palm of your hand. You were already different in looks to anyone else, you wanted to be at least their equal when it came to skills.

"what are those?" Said Papyrus pointing to the crystals.

"Oh? Some are the first attempts of Goliaths at glass-forming, others are natural crystals that, according to the stories, were inside the mountain before Merxis destroyed it." 

"you think the stories are true?" You look at him.

"I have no idea" you make a sharp turn to the left and step over a tree stump "I used to think they weren't but after living here for so long, I do think that maybe the stories are true... perhaps a bit embellished."

"what about the deities?" The past few days, Papyrus has expressed his interest in the legends of Aklirim and have been comparing the things he learned at the library with the ones you learned at home.

"I haven't seen one," you pause and pick some flowers "but I have witnessed their power." You keep picking different leaves, flowers and sometimes some tree bark. You memorized the valley by the plants it grew "It is cool, maybe you will get to see it tomorrow's morning training." Turning around you make eye contact with him, your semblance turning more serious. You were about to exit the forest, the plateau where The Dynasty coming into view.

The Obsidian Dynasty had its rules, and you weren't one to break them. You handed your companion all the things you gathered, for this your hands had to be free.

"Papyrus..." you paused "I need to tell you something before we are there and for that... uhhh... maybe I should have asked before" you frowned a bit to regain your focus "I need your full name."

"is it necessary?" he was sweating a bit.

"It is completely necessary, there are people inside that can tell if we lie and if one asks if we followed the rules and we didn't, we will be in serious trouble with the Masters." Papyrus would be in trouble, you would be getting the speech of the century.

"i can tell you part of it." He was avoiding your gaze, a small drop of orange sweat fell down the side of his skull.

"I need all of it" You stood there in front of him firm and unyielding. You weren't going to let this go, you were going to follow the rules because you believed in them.

"... i don't know all of it" the confession made Papyrus deflate.

"The part you know is considered your full name," you put one hand on his shoulder comforting him, you didn't know the circumstances, but you knew it was not the right time to ask, the topic seemed delicate "we've had cases like this before. Don't worry, this is a simple formality." He looked unsure looking anywhere except your face, yet when his gaze settled in the hand you had on his shoulder you felt him relax.

"papyrus e.f." gently, he pulled your hand away from his shoulder and started playing with your fingers examining your hand attentively "i don't know what the e. or the f. stand for and i don't remember what comes next" his sockets furrowed slightly "is that okay?"

"It is fine." You separated yourself from him, Papyrus put his hands back in his pockets again. "Papyrus E.F." you breathed in knowing exactly what to say "I, Y/N Truthheart, daughter of Eggath and Manthe, heads of the Truthheart family, Merxis' Pixie Maiden, will be responsible for your stay at The Obsidian Dynasty. I solemnly promise you are under my protection" you pause, the next part wasn't necessary for someone like Papyrus, but you believed in those words "Shall you ever act against any of our brothers, you will be on your own and in the divine name of Xylsis, Judgement will fall upon you."

You turn around and pushing some bushes to the side you let Papyrus enter.

"Papyrus, welcome to The Obsidian Dynasty of Merxis, the Insignificant." 

In front of you stood an enormous stair made of granite, each step was huge, they looked as if they were sculpted a long time ago. The railings, compared to the mighty stair, looked new, they were sculpted in marble, an opaque vine made of another unknown crystal around it. You still remember the day the railings had to be made, little you could barely get herself up half the stairs. The railings made it easier.

Training made them unnecessary. 

"Come on, Papyrus," you said turning around to face him "I race you to the top of the stairs!"

"no thanks," he said sitting on the ground as if the sight of the stairs made him give up.

"Afraid of losing against a little human?" you teased, ignoring how he tensed at your words.

"no, i just want to take it easy" at this, your eyebrow went up a bit.

"You take it easy every day, come on, it will be okay," you smirked, "I promise not to make too much fun of you at your lost."

"you know? sure, i'll race you" he closed his eyes and laid down on the ground, "i'll even give you some advantage" he didn't make a move to get up.

"I can't start the race with you laying down" you cross your arms.

"it will be okay" the spark of mischief you have come to know the past weeks was present once again "just don't cry once we reach the top."

"I should be the one telling you that." You got into position and at the count of three, you started making your way up, it looked as if you were hopping on each step. You were tempted to look back and see where Papyrus was, but you could finally hear the voices of the Goliaths, feel the aroma of their dishes in your nose and the soft and familiar thumps of their walks. You were finally home, and what a good feeling was to be finally back.

You were so distracted by that, that you didn't notice Papyrus in front of you and walked straight into his ribcage.

"Yikes! I'm so sorry, Papyrus! I didn't see where I was going and-" you paused taking a hold of his shirt "Wha- what? how?" You look up to meet his gaze, and you are only met with his soft trademark 'nyeheh' of a chuckle.

"i win" and with that, he turned you around and leaned on your back just like a rag doll, "i'm tired."

"No, you're not" you felt him nuzzle the back of your neck and mutter a soft confirmation. You were about to protest against this when a cheerful swarm of Goliaths came running to you. Goliath children, the same ones that followed you every day while you were gathering ingredients.

"Y/N! You're back!"

"Aunt Pixie! I knew you would be back!"

"Pixie Y/N, what is that on your back?"

The three children easily towered over you, yet you still were the one to keep an eye on them. You were glad to have earned their respect, you couldn't imagine how hard it would have been to handle three giant children without that in your favor.

"Nakin, Galvin, Ergkein! It is so nice to see you again!" You said opening your arms inviting them in a hug they didn't hesitate to be part of.

"We missed you! Our parents don't let us explore the valley alone!" said the teal grey one with braids, the one that called you Aunt.

"And that is a good idea, Galvin, it is really easy to get lost in there, trust me, I know that." You remembered the many times your father organized search parties to find you. Nakin, the flint Goliath pulled away from your hug and with his elbow hit Ergkrein who pulled away to look back at his friend.

They got on both sides of you and attempted to grab at Papyrus' only to be met with air, one boney hand on each of the boys' shoulders. Their yelps getting your attention from the hug you shared with Galvin, the laugh of Papyrus making you shake your head.

"It is another outsider!" said Galvin.

"Another one? When did you see an outsider?" you asked the girl.

"We do every day," replied Ergkein who was staring daggers at Papyrus "he is mean too."

"Don't be like that, Ergkein" Nakin protested "He is loud and acts mean, but we promised we would help bring his nice side out."

The kids kept talking about this, apparently, mean outsider, Papyrus and you just kept listening to the children talking, while looking at each other. Sans was a nice skeleton, so it couldn't be him. Still, you were intrigued by this.

You clapped your hands together to get the children's attention.

"Hey, my friend here isn't mean, right?"

"i didn't mean to scare you" He, totally meant to do that "your reactions were great tho" he chuckled.

"Oh no... Is he like your dad, Aunt Pixie?"

"Yes? No?" your dad loved to see people's reactions but you have never seen him get out of his way to get one like Papyrus does "Maybe? I don't know" you shrugged "But speaking of him, is his routine the same?"

"Yup, he should be at the market." 

"Great! I gotta go, children, I wanna give him a surprise" You smile, promising to play with them later "Come on, lazybones!" He just nodded and gave a relaxed smile and wave to the children before following you.

With every step, someone stopped you, you kept your finger on your mouth and told each of them to keep quiet because you wanted to surprise your dad. So far, no one seemed surprised by Papyrus, they would look at him and frown, a silent warning but with no trace of malice. Understanding what it meant he nodded, and the Goliaths smiled at him. The exchange flew over your head because they kept greeting you. 

While you were busy greeting everyone, Papyrus just kept CHECKing on them. Again, not a single citizen apart from the children had an LV of 1. He briefly wondered if you were aware of it. Then he remembered what you said before entering. Was that the Judgement you talked about? 

He decided it would be better to think about other things and closed his eyes, letting the scent of honey, chamomile and what he could only describe as you, be his guide.

When you arrived at the market, you couldn't help but compare it to the shopping districts back at The Dazzling City. At first, the city looked incredible and the prominent white only made the colors more vivid in your eyes, how organized and clean it looked, of course, it awed you at first. But now that you were back at home and were in the market, you were once more in love with your home.

The buildings were made of different colored stones, engraved with all sorts of designs, some even writing all over their walls, all left to their natural color. Lamps, windows and different crystals adorned them, all with different shapes and sizes. It was as if a group of different artists was told to draw a house. None of them looked the same, some looked terrible near each other but Goliaths liked their houses just like that, they liked to feel it represented them.

The many shops in the market were all out of the buildings, all centered in the plaza in the middle of the Dynasty. The only time someone visited the buildings was during the afternoon to place an order for another day.

Each vendor just set themselves wherever they wanted, yet they all ended in the same spot. It was an unspoken rule not to use someone else's place.

The way the shops were placed made the market a huge maze, and you loved every second of it.

Sneaking around, you continued to walk, this time approaching the vendors to ask if they have seen your dad. They were very helpful, at least until they started giving you things to eat. They insisted that you lost weight during your travels, you just accepted kindly and promised to cook something for them.

Not a single one asked about Papyrus, and in your haste to look for your dad, you forgot to introduce him.

At least, now you would finally get a chance to do it.

Right after training, your dad would take a walk around the market asking if anyone needed help. For him, it was natural to look after everyone and, luckily, no one took advantage of him. Everyone looked after your dad and his family. 

Any plans you had about sneaking behind and surprising your dad disappeared. The moment you could finally see him, you didn't hesitate to run towards him. Dragging Papyrus along with you and calling out to reach his attention.

"Dad! Dad, I'm back! I'm here!" The Goliath turned around, face and hands with crumbs of the pie he was eating. A smile spread across his face and his eyes filled with tears. Yours did the same, both of you moving towards each other you letting yourself be trapped by his bear-like hug.

"My sweet Pixie! Don't leave again! I missed you" he lifted you and you squealed happily, "Have you been eating properly? You look smaller" you roll your eyes at him.

"Dad, I'm fine! I missed you too, but please, please" you pointed at Papyrus, blushing a bit because you forgot about him "put me down, my friend is staring."

When your dad finally noticed Papyrus, you saw him squint his eyes at him, then look at you and then look at Papyrus as if he was double-checking he saw him right. 

"hey," Papyrus held his hand out, and your dad took it "the name is Pa-" only to pull Papyrus up his other shoulder and started running as fast as he could, the surprise made you hold onto his neck. And Papyrus... well... 

He relaxed, his eyes were closed as if he was in his happy place.

"Dad! What are you doing?!" you shrieked.

"No time to explain, Y/N! You will see by yourself!" You weren't human anymore, you were the embodiment of confusion.

He turned around, people made their way as if looking at their leader running like that was something he did every day.

At least, you recognized the place he was taking you. It was the same house made of granite you woke up to every day, with the same poorly made engravings of flowers you tried to make on the line of rose quartzes that were around the doorway, the ones that ended looking like sunny side eggs. You could smell the chamomiles you had in your window. The booming laughter of your mother could be heard, the same one that you would get to listen every time she saw your attempts at any kind of crafting.

The moment the door opened, a frustrated scream was heard. Your mom's laughter only got louder as she opened the door of your workshop. When she saw you, her laughter became softer but somehow she looked happier.

"My little Pixie" she opened her arms and your dad came to a stop in front of her, pulling you off his shoulder and into her arms "I missed you!"

"I missed you too mom" you hugged her, feeling the same maternal warmth she always gave you.

"Manthe, look what our Pixie found," he said pulling Papyrus from the back of his clothing. He reminded you of a dog carrying a puppy. 

Your mother gave an audible gasp "Do you think... it could be him?" Okay, now you felt lost.

"I don't know, let me show this one to him, maybe they know each other." Yup, definitely lost.

The next time you saw Mr. Lost, you would make sure to tell him that you stole his name.

Both of your parents entered the workshop, you could see a tall figure sweeping the floor, traces of shattered glass being efficiently removed. 

A raspy "I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS ABSURD CRAFTING WILL HELP ME. IT IS A NUISANCE, I COULD BE PATROLLING, TRAINING, NOT WASTING MY TIME WITH THIS NEFARIOUS TASK!" Throwing the glass away, the figure faced all of you.

It was another skeleton. You could only describe him as tall, dark and edgy. He didn't seem to have a weapon, but he was ready to fight. He wore a black breastplate, the design of it a variation of the one your dad has in his armory. The classical greaves and sabaton abandoned and replaced in what looked like the most stylish and inconvenient pair of red high heeled boots with silver protection. The pauldron of his left shoulder looked bigger than the one his right. Something seemed to be missing on the left one, but you couldn't point out what. Everything was well kept, even the red tattered scarf.

His red eye lights focused on your bard friend.

"Papyrus, look what my daughter found! Is this any of your relatives?" Did your dad call him Papyrus?

"i don't know pointy here" "I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS BUFFOON BEFORE" They spoke at the same time.

"Uhhh... Mom?" she looked at you and with an 'oh' placed you on the floor.

"Oh, sorry, little Pixie" She turns to the armored skeleton "This is my daughter, Y/N Truthheart, isn't she beautiful?"

He studied you for a moment, even took the luxury of walking around you. You tilted your head and took that time to study his sharp pointed teeth and the scar that over his right eye. You wondered if he could see with that eye.

"SO THIS IS THE LEGENDARY PIXIE" His eyes fixed on your mom's face "SHE LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THOSE DISGRACEFUL HUMANS TO ME" his comment only made your mom shake her head and your dad frown.

"Are you calling my daughter disgraceful?" Your dad released Papyrus from your grip.

"YOU SAID SHE WAS A PIXIE, MASTER EGGATH," he clarified his throat "I JUST CALLED HER SPECIES DISGRACEFUL, NOT HER."

"you shouldn't speak about honey or other humans like that" defended Papyrus. 

"Nah, he is right. Humans can be disgraceful, greedy, idiots, rotten to the very core." You knew that first hand "I'm lucky and proud to be a Goliath at heart, don't you agree Mr. No Name." Your parents looked at you proudly, you learned how to defend yourself very well. No one was going to bully you.

Your mom placed a hand on the guest's shoulder and frowned at him, making a soft motion with her head towards you. It was the same thing she did to scold you silently.

He grumbled and looked down at you "I WILL KEEP THAT IN MIND, PIXIE HUMAN." It wasn't an apology, but it was good enough for you.

Your dad nodded approvingly "Y/N, this is my apprentice, he is living with us" he smiled proudly at his apprentice "I never thought I would find someone I could teach all my fighting expertise, well, not after you said you wanted to become an apothecary." He looked at the scarred skeleton "Rejected by my own daughter, my little girl, my sweet Pixie, my-"

"ONLY A FOOL WOULD WASTE THE CHANCE TO LEARN AND OVERTAKE THE POWER FROM THEIR MASTER." 

"Papyrus, my teachings aren't meant to be used to overtake anything" Eggath corrected Papyrus.

"I KNOW, BUT SHE COULD HAVE TRIED AND NOT TURN HER BACK ON HER FATE" he pointed at you "YOU ARE THE NEXT ON THE LINE AND YOU ARE A WIMP."

You pushed his breastplate with your index, making him take a step back "First of all, you don't know me enough to criticize or judge my choices" you breathe in "Second, I'm glad to be able to choose my fate and that my parents support my choice." You scowl "Third, you're incredibly rude. And last but not less, Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Did you say his name was Papyrus?"

"THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS FOR YOU, PIXIE WIMP."

"..." Yes, your name should be Lost now.

"hey" Papyrus, your friendly bard said and everyone looked at him and slowly he pointed to himself "my name is papyrus too."

"..."

"..."

"..."

By the looks on your parents and your face maybe you could be called the family Lostheart or Truthlost.

"WHAT?"

"hi, my name is papyrus, it is not nice to meet you, papyrus."

"Wait a minute, if you are Papyrus" you pointed to your friend "and you are Papyrus" you repeated pointing at the armored one "Who was Sans looking for?"

"my bro was looking for me" "THAT POOR EXCUSE OF A BROTHER BETTER BE CLOSE, HE HAS TO FIX THIS MESS!"

"Okay okay, one of you has to be lying. There can't be two skeletons that look this similar, and that have the same name!"

Your parents just looked at each other, your mom taking a step back started moving her hands and whispering in a language you never learned but could recognize the words enough to know what was going to happen.

Each one of you felt the magic spreading all over your bodies, the two skeletons looked at your mother, a quiet understanding fell over everyone.

Zone of Truth was your mom's most used spell when you first arrived. You would hide things from her because you thought she would get mad if you said something. You would hide injuries, worries and your feelings. Manthe wasn't going to tolerate that kind of thing, she would prefer you were openly honest with her, and since you were used to replying if someone asked a question you tried to lie or tell her you were fine, the spell wouldn't let you. You were thankful because as drastic as the method sounded, it helped you understand your parents preferred the truth.

"Now boys," said your mom "which are your names?"

"PAPYRUS ELSNER F. GASTER" "papyrus e. f."

You all looked at each other, everyone was surprised. "Mom, are you sure it is working on everyone?"

"Of course I am" she was thinking "What is the name of the brother you are looking for?"

"sans serif" "C. SANS SERIF GASTER"

"Where were you born?"

"THE UNDERGROUND" "the underground"

This was getting a bit freaky, but also interesting.

"How old are you?"

"hundred twenty-two in monster years, around 22 human ones?" your friend said and the other smirked and looked down on the bard "ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE, TWENTY FIVE IN HUMAN YEARS"

Oh, armored Papyrus is your age.

"You are younger than me in human years?! Wait, did you actually live over a century and look 22 or is the other way around?"

"lived over a century, monsters age slower"

"Ohhh, I see."

"Okay, enough. Stop your spell, Manthe. We all need to sit down and have a talk."

* * *

Everyone walked out of the workshop, you didn't notice how stuffy the place was until you stepped out, you could feel sweat running down your forehead. You could also see some falling bard Papyrus' skull.

Ugh... you felt so confused. When you were told about another outsider you didn't expect it to be like this.

You were currently helping your dad in the kitchen, your mom acting as a buffer between the skeletons. They didn't seem to like each other, and they had so much in common!

...

Okay, you understood why. If an edgier version of yourself appeared all of a sudden you would certainly not be the most welcoming person but these two just... you couldn't tell what was going on in their minds.

You could only hope for the best.

Your dad handed you the garlic bread, cheese and some chopped fruits and slices of different kinds of smoked meat. He carried a small barrel that held mead and a pitcher full of water, slices of lemon and mint leaves. Your dad knew how to make talks better and lighten the mood. You didn't even notice when lunchtime was over and you were hungry.

Your dad smiled at you and you followed him to the terrace, it had a clear view of your garden.

Your mom was sitting in between the two skeletons, the bard one was slouching in the chair and looked even smaller than he was (at least compared to your gigantic parents), the armored one was sitting in a perfect posture with his arms crossed, one of his phalanges tapping over his humerus.

You left the snacks and walked towards the other seat, you had to push yourself off the ground to sit, your dad sitting next to you with no difficulty.

"So... how should we do this?"

"I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS, WILL START BY TELLING MY VERSION OF THE EVENTS," armored Papyrus said, "IT IS ONLY NATURAL THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON TELLS THEIR STORY FIRST."

"You are right, terrible Papyrus-"

"GREAT AND TERRIBLE FOR YOU, PIXIE WIMP" he clarified interrupting you.

"So, according to that, I should start, right?" you said half serious and half teasing.

"WE SHOULD START WITH A STORY THAT THE READERS DON'T KNOW" what? "MINE IS MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAN ANYTHING YOU HAVE TO TELL."

"i don't mind as long as he shuts up afterward"

"SILENCE YOU LETHARGIC COPY!"

"i'm not a copy of anyone, hot topic"

"COMPLIMENTS WON'T MAKE ME LET YOU TALK FIRST" That wasn't a compliment tho.

"Okay, just please tell your story, Papyrus" intervened Manthe, clearly she had enough of their animosity.

He stood up "IT ALL STARTED SIX MONTHS AGO, MONSTERKIND JUST GOT OUT OF THE UNDERGROUND AND FOUND THE SURFACE EVEN MORE INFESTED WITH HUMANS THAN THE DAY WE ALL GOT SEALED UNDER THE MOUNTAIN. HUMAN FRISK BROKE THE BARRIER AND WE, IN EXCHANGE, PROMISED TO BE ON OUR BEST BEHAVIOR. WE PROMISED TO SHOW MERCY AND WORK WITH HUMANS FOR OUR RIGHTS."

* * *

_Finally out of the Underground, monsters were trying to make a change. Unlike their home, the Surface had many rules, all of them written down. Papyrus being an exceptionally diligent monster invested his time to study human law. Most of the rules seemed ridiculous. For example, in South Dakota, it was illegal to fall asleep in a cheese factory. It was a stupid law. Falling asleep should be illegal anywhere that wasn't your bedroom._

_And that wasn't the only one, the whole world was full of them._

_Humankind was more stupid than Papyrus thought and these laws seemed to be made to protect them from it. But naturally, humans still broke them. They had no honor._

_And when monsterkind appeared, not many doubted before attacking a monster. As Captain of the Royal Guard, it was his duty to protect monsters, but he had to make sure to do it within the human's law limitations._

_Monsters felt betrayed by him, they would get hurt and Papyrus would let the humans leave with no injuries. He was just trying to give the example, even when he felt frustrated, he turned the other cheekbone, he would prove his fellow monsters that in the surface KILL or BE KILLED wasn't going to be the rule that governed them all._

_The monsters started speaking about how their Captain became soft and decided to toughen him up again._

_Now not only Papyrus had to deal with the discrimination from humans, but he also had to deal with the constant ambushes monsters made against him._

_He was doing all that, his frustration and stress levels were going over his limits._

_And his brother, Sans, that was the worst part. He couldn't find him anywhere during the day._

_They had been on the surface for 3 months, and soon four and he barely saw Sans, the only times he would find him would be at night, the area under his eyesockets showing his lack of sleep, reeking of mustard and fire rum, sitting on the ground looking at the stars._

_The big and infinite sky was one of the good things of the surface._

_For Papyrus, that night, it wasn't._

_He had enough, so when he found Sans outside, he didn't doubt to confront him. His behavior was intolerable and Papyrus had been having bad days for months without any support._

_"SANS" he saw his brother flinch and start to sweat. He detested being the cause for that reaction._

_"h-hey boss, whatcha doin' up so late?" he looked to the side._

_"I JUST ARRIVED FROM MY LAST PATROL."_

_"oh? you shouldn't be out so late, boss"_

_"THIS IS THE USUAL TIME I ARRIVE YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A BROTHER!" Papyrus snapped at Sans "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? GRILLBY'S?"_

_"n-nowhere, i swear, boss" he was sweating even more than normal._

_"EXACTLY! NOWHERE! WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU LEFT THIS PLACE?"_

_"uhhh... dunno, don' remember"_

_By this point, he was shaking with rage "I HAVE BEEN GETTING AMBUSHED, MAKING MYSELF USEFUL FOR MONSTERKIND AND GETTING REPAID WITH LIFE THREATS FROM MONSTERS" "wait, whoa, pap-" "AND HUMANS ALIKE! AND WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! NOWHERE! YOU'VE BEEN WASTING SPACE NOT MAKING YOURSELF USEFUL, YOU ARE NOT EVEN PART OF THE ROYAL GUARD AS A SENTRY ANYMORE! I COULD HAVE BEEN DUST BY NOW AND YOU WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW!"_

_"don't cha talk to me like that, papyrus!" Sans' accent got even thicker than before "yah really think i wouldn' know if somethin' happens to you? of course i would 'ave known"_

_Both brothers felt equally frustrated, and that night seemed like the one both would snap._

_"ya think everythin' is all well for me all da time?" if Papyrus thought so, he didn't say a thing "it's not! ya think bein' the capt'n of da royal guard is hard? try bein' the fuckin' judge!"_

_The sudden confession surprised Papyrus. Everyone in the Underground heard about The JUDGE. It was more than a job, the legend said that a monster got chosen from all monsterkind and they became the embodiment of Justice itself. The JUDGE would look into your SOUL and they would decide whether you should live or die. Even when the first rule of the Underground dictated it was KILL OR BE KILLED, the JUDGE would take action if you had any LOVE. Its legend was used to scare big and small monsters alike, but no one had heard of any of his appearances in the last decades. The golden hallway and the bells weren't heard, the JUDGE had been thought to be dead._

_Papyrus always thought his brother was weak, and that's why they started their little act to fool people, the one where he would show he didn't care if anything happened to Sans, all so that he didn't become a target for being his weak spot. Knowing he was the Underground most feared monster made him feel proud for the first time in ages. His brother wasn't as weak as his 20 HP dictated._

_"your body doesn' move on your own, it belongs to you and not some shitty thin' that thinks it can make ya its puppet, half a time i don' know when i dusted someone, and when i do it is in the fuckin' nightmares keepin' me awake" Sans just kept talking "and if that wasn' 'nough i'm da only one to rememb'r everythin' that happens. and everyone claps and celebrates to the kid, they are a freakin' demon waitin' to dust us all or return us to da underground. the fuckin' kid is a mage, you knew dat? i betcha didn't. they've been resettin' startin' the same day over and over again and you 'ave no idea how many times i've had your dust" he pointed to Papyrus "on mah hands only to not be able to kill 'em first, because oh the high and might essence of justice decides i have to wait until they walk in that blasted fuckin' corridor only tah end with their blood in my hands and see them start everythin' all over again"_

_"SANS... I-" it had been ages since Papyrus hesitated to talk._

_"and you come 'ere to tell me i wouldn't know if you've been dusted, doubt if i cared? don' cha fuck with me like that, 'boss'" he emphasized the sarcasm of the last word with an air quote._

_"..." Papyrus had no words, and Sans was left panting as if he ran a marathon after his rant._

_Sans looked at Papyrus, and both entered the house in silence, words failed them so they settled for a hug, the first since Papyrus became taller than Sans. None of them admitted that they cried._

_Once both calmed down, Papyrus asked again where Sans had been, and that's when the older explained what he had been doing._

_There was only one monster that could have known how Sans could regain control of the JUDGE's thirst for JUSTICE. And that was their father, W. D. Gaster._

_They both hated him. As kids, most monsters are shown a bit of care from their parents, even the coldest of families didn't turn against their children. Dr. Gaster was an exception. He turned away from his children and made sure not to look at them unless he needed to make a little experiment. Papyrus got the safest part of the deal, being the youngest just made it easier for Gaster to ignore. Of course, Sans' help was the key to this. The older sibling taught his little babybones not to cry out loud and made sure to feed him when his father forgot. Sans cared for and loved his brother._

_Sans wasn't safe from the experiments, Dr. Gaster kept rising his magic levels, tampering with his SOUL and pushing him to extreme levels._

_The day he fell into his creation, the skeleton brothers couldn't help but feel both relief and fear. With no adult to take care of them, they were free EXP._

_But the KIng took interest in them, provided them with a house and enough supplies to live. Papyrus never understood why at least until now. Sans' confession of his status finally solved that puzzle for him._

_Sans held Papyrus arm and teleported them through the void, all the way back to their house in Snowdin. Inside his secret workshop._

_The blueprints were scattered all around the place, a strange machine was in a corner. Sans approached it and said it was all ready to test it. That it had been for a week, but he couldn't manage to turn it on. He didn't have the guts._

_So, Papyrus did the job for him, as always._

_And the void opened. And they saw the skeletal hands, the ones with that hole in the middle._

_The hands came out and instead of pulling their owner out, they pulled the brothers inside. They didn't get to interact while they fell through the void._

_..._

_And soon Papyrus found himself waking up in the middle of a forest, the sound of a stream near him and light coming from different places. They came from crystals. He sat up and waited to recover from the dizzy feeling from the void. He remembered falling, no, getting pulled into the void with Sans, but he didn't remember seeing him inside._

_Surely, his now not so pathetic brother was somewhere near, right?_

_..._

_6 hours later, he wasn't so sure Sans was near. And Papyrus was in a state of alarm, reacting to every rustling heard around him. His discovery at the loss of his magic made him feel, uncomfortable, unsafe and exposed. So he grabbed one of the crystals, a resistant looking one, it could've looked like a sword. That would have to do for now in case he encountered danger._

_If only he knew danger was a rock blue looking human with two swords shortswords and a pauldron._

_Of course, Papyrus wasn't one to turn his back in the face of danger. So he chose to attack._

* * *

"That's your old man, Pixie! This is the part in which I found my apprentice!" Eggath pointed at himself. "It happened a week after you left. It was great!"

"Wow, wow, wow, wait a sec" you breathed in "So... you had no weapons, no magic and you thought it was a good idea to attack MY DAD?!"

"AS I SAID, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS IS NOT A COWARD" He smirked at you "OR A WIMP."

"no, he's just an idiot"

"SHUT UP, LETHARGIC NUMBSKULL! I AM STILL TELLING MY STORY"

"sure, just make sure to take the sword out of your coccyx later after you are done" 

"Papyrus, I didn't expect that from you."

"NOT ONLY ARE YOU LETHARGIC, BUT YOU ARE ALSO VULGAR AND RUDE"

"well pot, meet kettle"

"I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT KITCHEN APPLIANCES," he squinted his eyes at his other self "AND THAT IS A PITCHER NOT A POT OR KETTLE. NYAHAHAH! THIS PROVES HOW SUPERIOR I AM COMPARED TO YOU MAKING ME THE FAR MORE SUPERIOR AND ULTIMATE VERSION."

* * *

_He attacked immediately while the gigantic rock human was distracted. He rushed decidedly and struck with the crystal the back of the head of the creature, shattering it in multiple pieces._

_The creature turned around and grabbed at him, shortsword in hand ready to stab him._

_But it never counted with how smart was Papyrus._

_He already had his hand on the other sword, and with it, he blocked the incoming attack. And then with the same hand that had the sword, he held the back that was grabbing at his front and with the other grabbed the elbow of his attacker, he took one step towards him and with his other leg, he put it behind the leg of his opponent, making him fall. And then he took some distance. Making a bigger opponent fall was easy, but the next step was dislocating his arm and Papyrus didn't think he could do that to the one in front of him._

_He stood up fast and struck with his sword once more, but now they were equals. No one was grabbing the other, and they could only make the other trip._

_At first, Papyrus was trying to fight for his life. When his opponent started complimenting his attacks and then gave him tips to improve, Papyrus felt inspired. He met a real challenge. One that took him seriously and kept surprising him even after he learned what he said._

_"Your fighting skills are incredible, skeleton, and the room for improvement is still ample, tell me... who is your master?"_

_"I HAVE NO MASTER, YOU ARE WITNESSING YEARS OF TRAINING AND COMBAT SUPERIORITY FROM MONSTERKIND'S CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD"_

_"You mean no one summoned you? You are your own skeleton?"_

_"THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS IS FAR TOO INCREDIBLE TO BE SERVING ANYONE, OTHER THAN OUR KING ASGORE!"_

_"I see, that is good to know." The giant took Papyrus' sword away and light enveloped him, "My name is Eggath Truthheart. I can see in your eyes a fire to improve, but also one of concern. Xylsis can sense your thirst for justice, to set things right. Tell me, brave one, who had wronged you?"_

* * *

"And after that, he told me his story, all of it," "HE HAD TO KNOCK ME OUT 12 TIMES BEFORE I AGREED" Papyrus interrupted, "Yes, he told me everything, I was surprised when he talked to me about the same world you came from Y/N, this Ebott place," he frowned a bit "it seems like it was full of evildoers there."

"MORE THAN YOU COULD HAVE EVER SEEN, MASTER EGGATH, XYLSIS WOULDN'T HESITATE TO SLASH THEM WITH HER MIGHT."

"I'm not sure, I didn't get the chance of meeting too many people in the first place" your comment made everyone look at you but you pushed it aside "the ones I met tho, they made me glad to be able to be here, in this world with loving parents and lots of people that helped me find out who I truly am," you smiled "A Goliath at heart!"

"That's what I like to hear from my daughter!" Your mom said proudly.

"Oh! Papyrus, which is the Oath dad follows? He has never told me which one is it.

"NYAHAH! LISTEN, PIXIE WIMP" he beamed at your dad "I AM FOLLOWING THE SAME AS YOUR FATHER, THE OATH OF VENGEANCE!"

"... what?"

Papyrus talked so fast and loud, that he couldn't hear your dad's protest at him telling you.

"Is... is that true, dad? That is your Oath as a Paladin?"

With a heavy sigh, your dad grabbed your hands. Both skeletons seemed to finally pay attention to the situation. The Oath of Vengeance assured a bloody road.

"You have to know, my little Pixie, that, things were hard before I met you or your mother. It is... a story that is hard to tell. I promise I will."

"You know how I feel at people dying, I... I can't understand why you had to choose that oath, you are... you have always been so kind."

"There were dark times, not too long ago" spoke up your mother "multiple places were attacked by a mysterious group, and people had to defend themselves. Everyone has blood in their hands from those times, even me." You knew that already, she told you the stories of her days as a Monster Slayer, "but unlike others, your dad swore to fight against the real enemies we had, and he never spilled the blood of someone who didn't deserve it. The Oath of Vengeance is a path of sacrifice, mostly for the Paladin."

You let the information sink. You already knew about your mom, and you accepted it, she told you all about her adventures and the reasons she did all the things she did. But your dad, he was keeping it as a secret.

Secret or not, he was still your dad. What he did before you arrived at Aklirim didn't define who he was once you met him.

"You better tell me, or I'll ask Papyrus to do it."

"i thought i was papyrus."

"You two are Papyrus, it is confusing!"

"How about we give each a new name?" your mom was always so wise.

"HE CAN TAKE THE NEW NAME, I'LL KEEP MINE."

"it would still be confusing, spiky mcedge."

"I AM THE OLDER ONE, I GET TO KEEP IT!"

"well i've been here longer than you" he closed his eyes "five months and two weeks"

"Okay, I got it!" You pointed to the armored Papyrus "Your name will be Edge and-" 

"WHY DO YOU CALL ME THAT?" Don't say it, don't say it, don't-

"Because you are an edgelord...?" Oh, no, why did you say that you were officially in trouble now!

His face was dusted with a slight red color across his cheekbones "I SEE YOU FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGE MY NOBLE STATUS," oh no "I SHALL BE KNOWN AS THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE, WHILE THIS DECALCIFIED SLOTH IS AROUND." Your mom hit him with her elbow softly, making him grumble, his face still didn't return to his original color "THANKS FOR THINKING OF A NAME THAT SUITS ME, TINY PIXIE." Oh no, he didn't know what an edgelord was, and he was thanking you. Now you felt bad for giving him that name.

The skeleton bard, on the other hand, could barely contain his laughter. His bones were rattling and you could see how his body shook at trying to stop it from coming out.

"Oh, come on, Stretch! Don't be like that!"

"awwww, are you not gonna think of a new name?"

"Nope, the one Mr. Lost chose suits you perfectly."

"as long as he doesn't know the meaning"

"But Stretch, they will know, it is time for your story now."

"oh fu-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Edge and Eggath (your dad) are Oath of Vengeance Paladins!**  
> 
> 
> **The Oath of Vengeance is a solemn commitment to punish those who have committed a grievous sin.**
> 
> **When evil forces slaughter helpless villagers, when an entire people turn against the will of the gods, when a thieves' guild grows too violent and powerful, when a dragon rampages through the countryside – at times like these, paladins arise and swear an Oath of Vengeance to set right that which has gone wrong.**
> 
> **To these paladins – sometimes called avengers or dark knights – their own purity is not as important as delivering justice.**
> 
> * * *
> 
> Finally! I've been waiting for Edge to appear for... a couple of weeks? lol
> 
> I just hope I made him justice. I NEVER THOUGHT IT WAS SO DIFFICULT TO WRITE EDGE!  
> I am using some headcanons of mine so maybe the characters seem... off. If I ever get better at writing, I will probably edit the chapters, but I doubt that could really happen so... yup.
> 
> Hearing some of Skeletor's voice didn't help much to be honest. I almost wrote him saying He-Man a couple of times as an insult ;v;
> 
> Writing Red's way of talking was an achievement of Olympic proportions to me. I donut know if it was good enough tho. I question the way I write too much and end up YOLOing most of it lol
> 
>   
> On a side note, while I was making a mask yesterday, I was wondering if any of you would be interested in seeing the map of the world so you can have an idea of which routes the party is following. Trust me, this will be a long journey for them and I thought that maybe you would need it and all that.


	7. Man in the Wilderness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After sharing every story, you are finally talking to your parents about your Othein Travel Permit.
> 
> Of course, they don't want you to leave but they know how much this means to you. 
> 
> They will agree, under one condition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave up on trying to make shorter chapters, I go in a full trance while writing lol
> 
> Go listen to some Styx if you haven't, Man in the Wilderness gave me the right feels for the chapter so go give that good ol' Rock a try.

The small barrel and the pitcher were empty. Storytime was finally over, your usual bedtimes were hours ago. When night arrived, everyone decided to move to the dining room, a blanket around your body keeping you warm. Everyone was silent, evidently tired but also processing the information. Stretch told his story from the point he woke up in Aklirim.

He let you talk in between so that you could share what happened when you met, and how you got to help him. The moment he started talking about what was inside **The Mice Trap** , your dad stopped him saying they would need to go over the details later. He never got to find out what mystery The Dazzling City held, but now that he knew, you were sure he wouldn't stay with his arms crossed.

You trusted your mother to check on him and make sure he didn't rush into conflict.

You kept talking about traveling with Stretch, the two of you recalling the pranks he made and you pointing all the things he didn't know about traveling. It lightened the mood. At least until Edge asked about how you ended in Aklirim.

You told him how you had to escape home, you said your biological parents were bad people but didn't go into detail. The same short version you gave every skeleton.

There was no need to say more. Your real parents were Manthe and Eggath, and to know how you became who you were, they only needed to know about your life in Aklirim.

"I think it is late enough for everyone" your mom talked "We should all go to sleep, Pa- Edge, would you mind sharing your room with Stretch?" His skull scrunched at Manthe's request.

"I DON'T WANT TO SHARE MY ROOM WITH HIM," he sighed "BUT I CAN'T DENY A REQUEST FROM YOU, MASTER MANTHE" turning to Stretch he scowled even more. "YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR FILTHY HANDS AWAY FROM MY BELONGINGS, LETHARGIC VERSION OF ME."

"Y/N, give them a hand with the preparations, things are still in the same places." You nodded to your mom and got up.

"All right, Edge, it is your room so lead the way."

"I DON'T TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU, TINY PIXIE" he started walking away. 

"well... nighty night, y/n's parents" Stretch simply waved his hand at them. You gave each a kiss on the cheek.

"Good night! I'll see you tomorrow, I'll have breakfast ready when you wake up."

"TINY PIXIE! LETHARGIC SKELETON! YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO BE HERE OR ELSE SOMEONE WILL REPLACE MY TRAINING DUMMY!"

You shook your head and walked towards the guest room, now Edge's room. Stretch walked by your side. Edge's figure was waiting at the end of the hallway.

"YOU TOOK 12 SECONDS" you rolled your eyes "I EXPECT YOU TO BE AWAKE AND READY BY SUNRISE, TINY PIXIE."

"Only me? Stretch was late too" the look of mock betrayal he gave made you smile.

"AS SATISFYING AS IT WOULD BE TO BEAT HIM UP, I THINK YOU WILL BE A MORE ENTERTAINING TARGET."

"I have things to do tomorrow morning, I will be busy" you entered your room taking the spare blankets you kept in the wardrobe, your bedroll, and grabbed one of your pillows. "I have to prepare breakfast, go out to gather some ingredients, check if everyone has enough medicines, and later I will be busy in my workshop preparing them."

"I DEMAND YOU SPAR WITH ME AT SUNRISE." Ignoring him, you opened the door to his room and were pleasantly surprised at how neat it was. 

"Stretch, you can get your bedroll over there" you pointed to the other side of the room, far from the bed but also a place where Edge wouldn't need to walk. "I'll lend you mine so it is more comfortable."

"thanks, honey." 

"You can go to sleep in my bed after I get up," you knew he didn't sleep well.

"i don't mind sharing with you, honey" he winked at you.

"YOU CAN'T" growled Edge.

"Edge's right" you didn't notice the smug smile that appeared in his face "It will be more comfortable for you to sleep alone in it, my bed is me sized so it is small" the way his smile dropped made Stretch laugh and suddenly all the blankets and the pillow in your hands were in Edge's arms.

"LEAVE! I WON'T LET SUCH VULGAR TALK HAPPEN IN MY ROOM!"

And with that, he pushed you out of the room.

You had no idea what just happened, but you were too tired to think about it. It was time to sleep.

* * *

As soon as he heard the door to her room close, Edge turned to look at the intruder. Even if he looked weak, it was foolish to turn his back towards him.

"KEEP YOUR PHALANGES OFF THE TINY PIXIE," he said dropping all the blankets the pillow on top of the younger skeleton.

"oh? you said i had to keep my _filthy_ hands off your things and last i checked, honey is her own person."

"AND SHE IS NOT YOURS EITHER" He smirked.

"i know" Stretch got in his makeshift bed and stared at his counterpart, his left eye socket blinking for just a second with sparks of orange "but i won't let her be yours."

"I DON'T WANT A WIMP LIKE HER FOR MYSELF" It didn't matter all the things Edge learned about her, how much people admired her, the kindness and strength everyone told him about. She ignored his demand to spar. He couldn't see a hint of the famous 'Pixie Maiden' he wanted to meet. Did he feel disappointed?

"keep telling yourself that, hot topic" the bard closed his eyes and covered himself with the blankets, hugging the pillow closer. Her pillow.

"SILENCE, YOU DECALCIFIED BUNDLE OF BONES!" Edge changed into his pajama. He didn't care it was her pillow.

He didn't care about her like that. He didn't care about her in any way. She was just his master's daughter, and he would keep it that way. He was just infatuated by the stories, not by her soft laughter or her braveness at confronting him. 

She was just a wimpy human.

Edge kept telling himself that until he fell asleep. 

* * *

You got out of the bathroom, ready to start the day. Your long (h/c) hair in a ponytail, swinging from side to side with each step you gave. It had been so long since you slept in your room, that even with a couple of hours of sleep you woke up energized.

You made your way towards the kitchen and started grabbing the ingredients your mom always kept around since you made breakfast for the first time. Pancakes with fruits drizzled with honey, toasts and scrambled eggs with bacon. It was simple, but it was yours and your parents' favorite. Humming to yourself, you were so distracted that you didn't notice Edge enter the kitchen. You were in your own little world, chopping some of the same berries from the previous day fast and precise with the expertise of a professional, and adding them to the mix you had. A smile on your face.

When you turned around to fire up the stove, you yelped at Edge's presence. He didn't even flinch at your reaction. He just kept looking at you, something you couldn't describe on his red eye lights.

"You startled me," you said once you composed yourself a bit, you made your way to the charming clay stove, "I'm about to cook breakfast. Pancakes with berries and some toasts with" why couldn't you start a fire now, usually, you had no difficulty at it "scrambled eggs and ham." You groaned in frustration.

"GIVE ME THAT," said Edge taking the flint and the steel piece out of your hands, as forceful as he sounded his gloved hands brushed yours softly while taking the things away from your grasp. At the first attempt, he already had a little fire ready. 

"Thank you, Edge! I don't know why I couldn't start it, you truly saved me a few seconds."

"YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO AT LEAST DO THIS MUCH ON YOUR OWN, FOOLISH PIXIE" that was a new one "YOU WON'T HAVE ME, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE, TO ASSIST YOU IN TRIVIAL TASKS ALL THE TIME." He said while he pulled you up by the hand. 

"Don't worry, I can get around without your help just fine." You said confidently.

...

At least, you tried to do things on your own. 

You had everything ready for breakfast. You walked to your room and found Stretch on your bed sleeping. He looked so peaceful that you decided not to wake him up and went back to the kitchen where your parents and Edge were already sitting, waiting for you to join them. You told them about your plans for the day and told them that Stretch was still sleeping. Your dad told you not to worry and that he would keep an eye on him, they had a pending conversation about what Stretch saw at The Mice Trap. 

When you finished with breakfast, Edge took all the dishes and went to wash them refusing your help and told you to go away.

You didn't expect him to be outside when you went out with your satchel. You smiled at him and muttered a soft "see you later."

You started walking, greeting the Goliaths that were awake already setting their shops at the market. Of course, they also greeted the skeleton following you. You tried to ignore him, even walked all around the market thinking that maybe you were just paranoid, but nope, he didn't turn away and just kept following you as if he was your shadow.

"Edge?" you stopped walking right in front of the steps that lead to The Oath Valley.

"WHAT IS IT, WIMP?" Now you were back to wimp.

"First, rude. Second, you know you don't have to walk behind me, right? You can walk by my side and, you know, talk."

"WHY WOULD SOMEONE AS GREAT AS I WANT TO TALK TO A TINY HUMAN LIKE YOU?" 

"Because you have been following me?" you were so confused that your reply came out as a question. By the red color of his face, you assumed that he got mad at you.

"JUST KEEP MOVING ON WITH YOUR TASKS, YOU NITWIT!" 

"All right, okay, relax, skeleman." By Merxis you couldn't understand him.

...

For the rest of the day, Edge followed you in every task. He was rather helpful, he helped to gather ingredients, kept an eye socket on Galvin, Ergkein, and Nakin. He even took notes for you about what medicines each household needed.

It was nice of him, but also frustrating. He didn't let you help anyone and would do the things you offered to do. 

If you wanted to help the Blacksmith carrying logs, he would take them all from you.

_"A WIMPY LITTLE PIXIE LIKE YOU SHOULDN'T CARRY THIS!"_

When you saw Galvin trying to climb an apple tree and breaking a branch in the process, you offered to help to get the apples for her, but Edge just approached and started pulling them out.

_"THIS ISN'T A TASK FOR TINY HUMANS, I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE, WILL DO THIS EVEN FASTER THAN YOU EVER COULD NYAHAHAH!"_

At least when you arrived home during the afternoon, your father called him.

Finally, you had some time free from him. His contradictory behavior made you feel a bit drained. 

The slim body that chose to rest over you didn't help.

"I was wondering when dad would release you."

"he made me greet every goliath, gave me a tour of the town and made me write down everything i knew about the city" he sounded completely drained.

"You worked hard," you patted his right humerus "You deserve some honey and I earned the right to drink some mead."

"how was your day with skeletor?"

"It is not even 5 and I'm already going to drink mead."

"point taken, honey."

You kept walking, dragging Stretch with you. By this point, you were used to how he would just drop himself over you like a doll.

You entered the kitchen and handed him the jar with honey, you grabbed a tankard of mead for yourself.

"Have you tried the mead?" you said hoisting up the amber drink towards him.

"no, heard about it but didn't try it"

"Here, have a sip. This is a sack sweet one," he grabbed the tankard from you and took a sip. His bone brows furrowed and his orange tongue came out and he licked his teeth. You noticed his tongue before, but it always made you wonder why a skeleton had a tongue.

"Did you like it, princess?"

"i totally did, honey prince, it was sweet and fizzy," he smirked returning the mead to you "not as sweet and bubbly as you," he said almost purring, making you take a quiet sip. Your face felt a bit warm. The mead was surely strong, just as you liked it.

"Y/N, sweetie? Are you drinking mead?" your mom entered the kitchen.

"Yup, long day, mom" her eyes furrowed a bit in worry.

"Did Edge cause some trouble?"

"Nah, he was really helpful... but didn't let me do anything apart from talking and gathering." your mumbled comment made your mom laugh softly.

"He is like that, he doesn't know how to express himself, okay? Be nice to him."

You sighed "I am mom, but you know I like to help other people."

"And you will. Now that you are back, everyone will get their medicines. Since you left so suddenly most didn't have a chance to restock in their medicines. Luckily no one got sick." She started cutting some vegetables. Looks like there will be some stew for dinner.

"About that," you looked at Stretch, "I think I mentioned it, yesterday... but, I'm going to travel again. Really soon. As in a few days, after making enough medicine for everyone."

At that, your mom dropped the knife over the cutting board.

"You did," she sighed and sat by your side "your dad and I are just worried, you will be traveling for so long, and we don't want you to travel alone."

"she won't be alone, i'll travel with her" reassured Stretch immediately.

She gave him a tight smile and took his hand on hers "I appreciate it," she sighed "But you don't know that. You want to find your brother, and you don't know if he will be in trouble or if he will choose to find the way back home immediately" she looked towards the kitchen entrance raising her eyebrow. There was nothing there. "Can you promise to travel with her and that you will bring her back home? Can you make that decision without knowing what your brother feels?"

Stretch looked at the table "... no." 

"Exactly." 

"Mom, I can take care of myse-"

"I know you can! And I trust you, it is other people the ones I don't trust." She released Stretch's hand and took away your mead to take with both hands yours "What if they tend you a trap? What if they outnumber you? What if you need one person to help you?"

"... I... I don't know."

"I'm not saying we won't let you go. We just want to be sure you will be okay, my little Pixie" she pulled a strand of hair away from your face. "We will think of something, I'm sure we can find a solution as a family."

You gave her a weak smile "I hope so."

* * *

"Papyrus," Eggath turned towards his apprentice. They were both standing in The Oath Valley, the signs of exhaustion showing on their faces. The light of dusk illuminated their semblance, the darkness approaching "Your training isn't complete, but I can't keep training you."

"MASTER EGGATH, YOU SAID-"

He lifted his hand, making the skeleton stop talking.

"It is time for you to take the Oath. It is time you let Xylsis be your master, the guide to your actions." He pointed with his sword at the skeleton. "This is the first time you have defeated me. It is the moment for you to become Xylsis' champion, your turn to listen to her and bring her justice upon your foes. The path will be bloody, your resolution tested, and your ability to show mercy at the one your Goddess commands, rewarded."

"Papyrus Elsner F. Gaster, kneel, please." The command, the serenity of the situation made Papyrus follow the order. When he became Captain of the Royal Guard, hundreds of monsters witnessed that moment, but when he kneeled in front of King Asgore, it was a way to tell everyone he was weaker than their ruler.

When he knelt in front of Eggath Truthheart, Champion of Xylsis, Paladin of Vengeance and Master of The Obsidian Dynasty, he did it out of respect, even in the solemn situation, the Goliath said please, and didn't look down on him, his gaze was the one of someone that looked at him proudly and full of hope.

"Do you vow to fight the greater evil, show no mercy to those wicked and rotten to the core by any means necessary, and help those you failed to save?" 

Something, a voice apart from the one of his Master spoke to Edge, this one was firm and strong. Unyielding. He didn't dare lift his gaze. He could feel in his SOUL he could trust the feminine voice. He already believed in her.

"I, PAPYRUS ELSNER F. GASTER FROM SNOWDIN, PROMISE, ON MY FAITH, TO HEED YOUR WORDS AND TAKE YOUR VOW UPON MY VERY SOUL. I WILL BE FAITHFUL TO YOUR CREED. I WILL FOLLOW YOUR JUSTICE AND BRING YOUR JUDGEMENT, YOUR VENGEANCE, TO THOSE WHO EARNED IT."

"Arise, my champion." Slowly, Papyrus rose up. His master's eyes shone in a yellow light that outshined the ones of the dusk. He smiled. "Nice trick, right? Don't worry, Eggath is conscious and can stop me if he wishes so."

His master, no, Xylsis placed an arm over his pauldron that started shining under it "This is my symbol" in his left pauldron appeared the image of a bloody shield, one sword stood in front of it, its rain-guard had the shape of a blind eye with a golden balance instead of a pupil "As long as it is intact you will be able to channel my power." The skeleton nodded. "Only you will be able to destroy that part of your pauldron, that will mean you are breaking your Oath."

"WHAT IS YOUR FIRST COMMAND?" 

"Hmmm? I don't have one. You can do whatever you want, but if you break any of your vows.. I won't help you, no divine assistance will be yours and I will take your magic away."

"IT HAS BEEN GONE ALL THIS TIME, LADY XYLSIS."

"Oh, it is back, you needed a focus" she pointed to the pauldron "yours will be my holy symbol! It is awesome, right? I designed it myself." She put her hands on her waist proudly. "And it is just Xylsis, baby skeleton." she looked behind Papyrus, ignoring his frown "It is time for dinner Eggath, your wife cooked some stew, hurry up!"

And just like that, the ceremony was over. And Eggath had control of his body again.

"Well, let's go, you know how Manthe gets if we are late for dinner." Both started walking back home.

"XYLSIS SOUNDS LIKE AN I-" "She is listening to you, Edge" "INCREDIBLY INFORMAL DEITY."

"What did you expect? She is the Goddess of Retribution and Games."

"I THOUGHT SHE WAS THE GODDESS OF VENGEANCE!"

"She brings retribution, that means rewards and punishment."

"OH."

"Her symbol doesn't show her playful part or else others don't take us seriously."

"THAT MAKES SENSE."

"Hey, Papyrus?" They were about to arrive at the entrance of The Dynasty when Eggath stopped.

"YES, MASTER EGGATH?"

"Can you do me a favor? You can refuse, but there is something I hope you can do for me. There is no one else I can entrust with this task."

"WHAT WOULD IT BE? I AM A BUSY SKELETON, MASTER EGGATH AND NOW THAT I HAVE MY MAGIC BACK, I HAVE TO FIND THAT PATHETIC LAZYBONES I HAVE FOR A BROTHER."

"Don't worry, it won't interfere with what you want to do," Eggath had a smile on his face as he put an arm around Papyrus' shoulders "in fact, son, how do you feel about traveling?"

* * *

In the next three days, you spent most the same way as the second one since you arrived. You woke up, took a shower, cooked breakfast, Edge would clean after everyone. Then you would leave to gather more ingredients, the skeletal disciple this time walked by your side. In the entrance to the valley, you would find the Goliath children and they would follow you, playing around and taking their time to learn from you the uses of the many things you would get, Edge would crawl next to you and take notes of them. Sometimes, you would take his journal and the pencil and make a quick sketch of how the plant looked like. You were awful at crafting things, but you were good at sketching.

At some point, Stretch would join the group, breakfast in hand and ukulele on his back. He would eat and let the kids wonder where the food went. And then, he would play some songs, teaching the lyrics to you and the children.

Edge never joined Stretch's shenanigans. 

You would make your way back, and take the children back to their parents safely, Stretch would smoke and Edge started complaining at how much he was contaminating everything, you would hurry home to help your dad with lunch. Your laidback friend would show a trick or two to your dad, like the time he said he had something in his eye socket, and pulled out of it a jar full of cookies. No one knew how he did it, or how the cookies got there, the only thing that mattered was that they were delicious.

After lunch, Edge would grab Stretch and make him help cleaning up and would rush you to go make your medicines. You never knew if the bard cleaned or if the paladin would make him look how a professional cleans.

That would be the time you usually spent alone or with Stretch. He was didn't know what you had to do with the plants, but he understood how to do some things. He explained that he liked science a lot and would help his scientist friend Undyne at her Lab. You would spend the time making small talk or just quietly. You were worried. You wanted to travel but when you asked your mom to talk about it with your dad, the three of you, she would refuse. She told you to focus only on making your medicines and toiletries. 

The armored skeleton would arrive and ask if you had medicines ready. You would grab the ones that were done, each with a note carefully attached to them, and you would send him to deliver them.

And finally, you would eat dinner, clean the kitchen with Edge and sleep.

Today, it was the 6th day since your arrival, right before dinner, and the last batch of medicines got delivered.

You had enough of the routine of the previous days and you were determined to talk to your dad about your trip. So, you went to your room and got everything ready to leave. Bedroll, blanket, a change of clothes, your crossbow and bolts, a notebook and pencil, flint and steel piece, a waterskin, your apothecary set, your toiletries, your first-aid kit, and your cooking set. Everything fitted perfectly in your backpack and pouches, you had space left to put food inside.

By dinner time, you sat down. Stretch already knew about your plan and promised to help get your family seal if necessary.

"Family, Stretch, I have something important to talk to you about." Your dad started, you went still, will he announce you weren't allowed to travel?

Your parents kept eating, but the rest of you stopped completely.

"So, first of all, congratulations, my little Pixie! Everyone is really happy because they received enough medicines to last them for a few seasons."

"Thanks, dad" Okay, good enough.

"Second of all, I want to congratulate Edge, he defeated me while we were sparring a couple of days ago and finally became a true paladin."

"I HAVE TO THANK YOU AND YOUR WIFE FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE SINCE I ARRIVED." Your dad and mom smiled at each other, sharing a knowing look. You all congratulated Edge.

"Third of all," your mother talked "Stretch, I would like to thank you for traveling with Y/N all this time, even if she denies it, she does mind being alone." You went pink in embarrassment. "That's why I want to ask you not to worry about going out of your way to travel with her, you should focus on looking for your brother."

"but i-" your father interrupted him.

"It is okay, Stretch, just let us finish" he looked at you "I will let you travel, my little pixie."

"What?" You were surprised. You expected your mom to say something like that, not your dad. He was so apprehensive and didn't like being apart from you. "Really?" your parents nodded and you ran towards them "thank y-" 

"Under one condition" Say what again?

"What is the condition?" You would do anything to get that seal.

"YOU WILL TRAVEL WITH ME" you turned your gaze to Edge. "YOUR FATHER HAS TASKED ME WITH YOUR PROTECTION."

"But, Edge, you need to look for your brother too!" 

"yeah, what will you do once you find your bro?"

"THE THREE OF US WILL TRAVEL THROUGH BOTH CONTINENTS AND THEN GET THE PIXIE MAIDEN BACK TO HER HOME."

"What will your brother think? What about his feelings? You can't make the decision just like that" you could have accepted Edge's help but you couldn't without letting him a way out. You knew he was grateful to your parents. You wanted to take both his and his brother's feelings into consideration.

"THE FOOL GOT US HERE, HE HAS TO MAKE IT UP TO ME FOR GETTING US INTO THIS MESS" He turned away the light red dusting his cheekbones again "THE IDIOT WOULDN'T MIND TRAVELING WITH A GRACEFUL MAIDEN LIKE YOU FOR A TIME."

"You think I'm graceful?" you blushed a bit, no one had called you that before.

"NO." He mumbled something under his breath. "MY BROTHER WOULD THINK SO AND HE WOULD BE VERY WRONG ABOUT IT!"

"Oh..." well, there goes the compliment. It felt nice while the idea lasted.

Still, you got around the table and gave Edge a hug.

"Thank you, for agreeing with my dad." The paladin went completely still, and when you pulled away, for just a moment you felt his hand on your back and thought he would pull you back into the hug. 

Instead, he picked you up by your clothes and turned you around pushing you.

"FINISH YOUR MEAL! WE HAVE TO GET EVERYTHING READY!"

"nyeheheh looks like you couldn't convince yourself enough, spiky mcedge"

"SHUT UP, LETHARGIC ASHTRAY BOUND BUFFOON!"

* * *

The next morning, you had the strangest sense of Deja Vu. You were standing in the exit of The Oath Valley, the very limit of what was considered Merxis' territory, the same place you separated from your parents the first time you went out to travel. 

And there they were again, your dad once again crying and holding you tight saying you shouldn't leave your old man crying.

"By Merxis Rage! Truthheart, release our child! If they don't leave soon they won't find a nice place to rest!" Your mom was crying too, but she refused to point that out. Her words got him to release you and pull Edge into the hug with you.

"Take care of my daughter, Papyrus. Or I swear, I will find you and pull your guts out!" The hug tightened too much.

"I DO NOT HAVE THOSE, SIR EGGATH"

"Exactly!"

"Dad! AIR!" He released both of you, the Paladin and you got out of his reach as fast as you could and grabbed your things. He had Stretch in a hug this time.

"Farewell, you were one of the most interesting guests I ever had in my house."

"it was a pleasure to entertain you and your wife, eggath." He released him and pushed the bard towards you.

"You two better find your brothers, okay?"

You looked at them, one last time "See you later, mom. I'll see you soon, dad. I love you both"

"And we love you, my little Pixie" Your mom approached your dad and got her arms around him. "Go now that I am holding him, okay?"

"Okay! Guys, run!" and you sprinted ahead of them, who were stunned in confusion.

"Release me, Manthe! Our little girl is going away!"

"FAREWELL AND DON'T WORRY, I THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE WILL KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR DAUGHTER, SHE WILL BE SAFE BY MY SIDE."

"hot topic"

"I PROMISED TO BRING HER BACK SAFE"

"spiky"

"I WON'T BETRAY YOUR TRUST."

"e d g e."

"DON'T USE THAT TONE WITH ME, ASHTRAY!" Stretch grabbed his arm and said a quick bye.

"where is she?"

"..."

"..." 

"MOVE YOU, OVERGROWN CIGARETTE! WE HAVE TO FIND HER!"

...

You were still running. During your first travel, you ran towards the South, running along river Faehrin. This time you were running through the grove towards the East. You jumped over the tree stumps and some trunks that were laying around. You didn't attempt to look back in case your dad was running towards you, you trusted the Papyri? Well, you trusted them to be following not far behind.

You were running happily, until a flash of blue appeared right in front of you, making you fall on your butt.

"heheheh, didn't know you were fallin' for me" a boney hand appeared in your line of sight.

"Sans!" You accepted his hand and got up, giving him a hug. He gave you a light pat on your back, returning the hug.

"how are you, pixie?"

"To be fair-y, I have lots to tell you! You wouldn't believe who I found!"

"i'll take your word for it, you better not be elfin around."

"Gasp! I'm offended, you know I'm elful at lies!"

"heheh true, but... let me ask something" he pulled you behind him. "who are the ones e l v e s d r o p p i n g?"

"GET OFF ME YOU DOLT ASHTRAY! HE ALREADY FOUND US!" From behind a tree, came Edge and Stretch. "YOUR PUNS ARE EVEN MORE INSUFFERABLE THAN THE ONES OF MY BROTHER!"

"pranks are better, not bro."

"... pixie?"

"I said you wouldn't believe me, Sans" you pulled your arm around his shoulder and started patting his back. "I'm sorry they are not your Papyrus..."

"it's... it's fine..." his eye lights were gone. "can we sit and talk?"

"Sure, we can explain everything."

* * *

**Sans' PoV**

We sat down, and I could feel her talking to the other two skeletons. I wasn't listening.

One of them had a slouched posture, he was clearly taller than my brother and had a ukulele.

The other was carrying a sword and was wearing some armor. He had high-heeled boots. And a high LV.

"is this the sans you met, honey?" the Orange Papyrus said.

"Yes, I" she looked from me to him "I'm sorry he isn't your brother, I... I didn't know at the time there was more than one."

"it's fine, you couldn't have known."

"ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP SULKING OR ARE YOU GOING TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF?" the Edgy one said.

"i-"

"CLEARLY, YOU LACK MANNERS. THE PERSON WITH THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY HAS TO BE THE FIRST TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES!" He took a menacing stance, pulling his sword sticking it in the ground before putting his arm over his breastplate "I AM THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE, CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD, PALADIN OF VENGEANCE, CHAMPION OF XYLSIS, AND BODYGUARD OF MERXIS' PIXIE MAIDEN!" He said pulling Pixie by her clothes into his arms. 

"KEEP YOUR FILTHY LAZY PHALANGES AWAY FROM HER!"

"p u t h e r d o w n h o t t o p i c."

"YOU ARE NOT A THREAT TO ME, YOU FOOL."

I sighed and used some gravity magic to pull her out of Edge's... grasp. And lifted both of the tall skeletons.

"nyeh!"

"NYAH!"

"kids like you two shouldn't fight, let us all sit" I made them sit over one of the trunks "and talk nicely, okay?" I smiled.

"WHY SHOULD I-"

"you should cal-"

**"o k a y ?"**

The two versions of my bro looked away from me. 

"Okay," Pixie replied looking at her feet "sorry."

"... i was scolding them, not you."

"Oh..."

"come here, pixie" i patted the spot she was sitting previously "i'm sorry we've bone this out of proportion"

"..."

"..."

"Pffft," she started laughing happily "You're very skullful at tickling my funny bone," she hit her knee while holding her stomach "the most humerus skeleton I know!" she looked at me, and snorted "and I know a skele-ton of them!"

I started laughing. 

I didn't laugh since I last saw her. I traveled all around Abristan, and in this continent, I only found a single clue of, who I assumed, my brother. Seeing the ukulele of the Orange Papyrus, I could only assume he was the runaway bard.

"hey, babybones, the name is sans, sans the skeleton" I smiled widely. "mind if i join the party?"

"YES!" "Of course you can join" "honey decides, she's the leader"

"What? I'm not"

"OBVIOUSLY, I AM THE LEADER!"

"in your dreams, skeletor."

"ARE YOU CHALLENGING ME, STRETCHED EGG?"

"i dunno, am i edgelord?"

"I COULD WRITE A BOOK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW, DEMOLISHED CHIMNEY."

"Don't start again please."

It looks like to find my little bro, I would have to join Y/N's party, she was a lucky star.

One that seemed to attract skeletons.

I hugged her closer to me "now kids, calm down, or you will have to sit through more of our hilarious puns."

* * *

Your parents who were already climbing up the stairs of the plateau where their village was heard a frustrated _**"NYAAH"**_ in the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those that want to know, during the last dinner at the reader's home, Edge muttered "I KNOW SO" when she asked if he really thought she was graceful.
> 
> And I'm sorry, I couldn't get the insults Skeletor makes out of my mind.
> 
> * * *
> 
> While I was preparing to write, I was thinking "Yeah, this is the chapter the real adventure begins, and it is when Sans comes back" and I couldn't find a single song that gave me the initial kick. Until I started listening "Man in the Wilderness" by Styx and hear:
> 
> "Ten thousand people look my way  
> But they can't see the way that I feel  
> Nobody even cares to try  
> I spend my life and sell my soul on the road  
> And I'm still in the dark  
> 'Cause I can't seem to find the light alone"
> 
> Like... he has been a year without Papyrus, traveled all around the continent looking for him, all alone...  
> I'm glad he joins the party and can look for him with other people now QwQ
> 
> AND WE HAVE A BALANCED PARTY NOW! 
> 
> We have:
> 
> The Bard  
> The Paladin  
> The Wizard 
> 
> And whatever class reader is.


	8. STAND PROUD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your regular show of The Apothecary and the Three Skeletons is temporarily replaced by Blueberry's Bizarre Adventure: Skeleton Crusader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought it was Reader's POV!
> 
> BUT IT WAS ME, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS!
> 
> Is that a JoJo reference?
> 
> Yes, yes it is. Go listen to Jin's beautiful voice.
> 
> I can't believe this story got 666 hits while I was writing this chapter!
> 
> It is awesome to think about it, I seriously thought anyone would give it a try... like not even attempt to check it out.
> 
> Thanks to the 68 people that gave kudos too, it means a lot and I hope you are all having an awesome time with this story.
> 
> Edit: Thanks to the 74 people that gave kudos and wow almost 700 hits :0c

**Underswap Timeline, 9 months after reaching the surface, the skeleton household.**

**THE MAGNIFICENT SANS' POV**

It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing. Flowers are blooming. On days like this...

"PAPY! WE ARE LOW ON INGREDIENTS FOR FRIENDSHIP TACOS AND HUMAN CHARA IS VISITING TODAY, MAKE SURE TO OPEN THE DOOR WHEN THEY ARRIVE." 

"sure, bro."

"AND NO PRANKS."

"of course."

"AND NO DRINKING HONEY BEFORE DINNER."

"but sans, i've been working all day."

"I KNOW BUT YOU KNOW IT IS NOT HEALTHY AND DRINKING IT WILL SPOIL YOUR APPETITE. HONESTLY, YOU SHOULD EAT MORE HEALTHILY AND GIVE HUMAN CHARA A GOOD EXAMPLE."

"you used to drink ketchup when you were my age."

"AND THOSE DAYS ARE OVER!" I swear he'll never let that go. 

"sure thing, bro"

"BE NICE TO THE HUMAN" I grabbed my keys. "SEE YOU SOON, PAPY!"

"laterz, bro" I closed the door behind me but turned around opening it again.

I point to the ground and frown "AND PICK UP YOUR SOCK."

"okay."

And once more, I'm outside. I walk towards my motorcycle and smile before riding it to the store.

Living on the surface has been great. Humans have accepted monsterkind for the most part. We still don't have all our rights but Queen Toriel, Human Chara, and former King Asgore are working hard. Education was one of the first things monsters got as a right. Humans were impressed at how advanced monster technology was and wanted to learn more about it.

In exchange, we had to make tests to see how much we knew. The humans said that Papy and I were gifted, and offered to let us learn whatever we wanted in exchange for our help. I was surprised when Papyrus chose to study literature. I thought he would choose science, I guess he always liked stories a lot. It was so sad that we had so little books Underground.

As the older brother, I couldn't stay behind, so I decided to expand my horizons too and chose to be a Game Programmer. Humans had a big library of puzzle games, but the lack of riddles on most of them was outrageous, it was my duty as a riddle master to right this situation. 

And now that the Royal Guard disbanded, I didn't have much to do.

But enough of that, today, we have a guest and I need to cook friendship tacos. 

I entered the store and made my way to the baking products aisle. I was surprised to find out humans couldn't eat any kind of glitter. Or glue. But I found the perfect human safe ingredients to use for my friendship tacos, human Chara said that I had mastered the art of taco making.

I made sure to fill the basket with enough ingredients to last for a while, I started checking that I didn't forget anything when I noticed an elderly human trying to reach something out of her reach. 

"ELDERLY HUMAN, I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, WILL HELP YOU." 

"But sonny, you are smaller than me, how are you going to reach something at the very top of the shelf?" I smiled, height has never been a problem for someone as incredibly skilled as me. 

I summoned two bones under my feet and took the metal box the human was trying to reach and made them disappear. I heard soft claps come from the elderly lady.

"MWEHEHEH! HERE YOU GO, ELDERLY HUMAN LADY, YOUR METAL BOX."

"Thank you, sonny. I'll be able to keep having good dreams thanks to you". Huh? Good dreams?

"DO YOU HAVE TROUBLE SLEEPING, ELDERLY HUMAN?"

"Oh yes, at my age nightmares and lack of sleep are something usual" she shows the metal box to me "This is a lemon balm infusion, I was told it helped with nightmares, and since I tried it, I've been sleeping way better, I even look younger." She smiles and starts pushing her cart, "Thanks again, skeleton kid" and she goes away. I don't understand why humans keep confusing me for a kid. I'm 131 years old! So, 31 for human standards.

"SIGH" I looked at the tin infusion boxes. I wonder if what the elderly lady said is true. Would this Lemon Balm work with monsters too?

I grab one of the tin boxes for myself and get in line to pay for my groceries.

I haven't told anyone about this, but sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night. It has been happening since we left the Underground.

I have dreams of the first time Papyrus and I met Human Chara. But they look so different! Their rosy cheeks are pale, their whole face is void of any emotion, and they are carrying a toy knife around.

And their clothes are so dusty.

"Sir?" Oops, I forgot I was still buying groceries. "How are you going to pay, sir?"

"AH, UH, CARD" Nailed it.

"Okay, that'll be-" I proceed to pay and get everything to my motorbike.

I just can't get the nightmares out of my mind, they feel so... so real.

I know they aren't real, of course, Human Chara is our best friend and they love monsterkind, they would never harm us.

R-right?

No, I trust the Human with my very SOUL, they freed all of monsterkind and even accepted to become our ambassador!

... then why do I keep having those nightmares?

I get on my bike and make my way home. There is no point in thinking about it.

...

The whole afternoon, was fantastic! Papy, the Human and I spent our time playing video games, cooking, and watching Napsttaton movies. We had so much fun, that we didn't notice how late it was until Lord Asgore called Human Chara.

When they asked if we could have a slumber party, I couldn't refuse. I prepared the guest room and Papyrus grabbed a book entering with the human on his arms. I closed the door behind them and heard Papy start reading "Peek-a-boo with Fluffy Bunny."

I swear he will never stop reading that book no matter how old he gets.

I went downstairs and started cleaning up the mess we left while watching movies. I grabbed the bowls and washed them in the sink.

That's when I saw the Lemon Balm infusion on the counter.

I guess trying it wouldn't hurt, right?

I followed the instructions written on the back and prepared myself a cup. It was better if I got to bed soon. I couldn't make Papy wait, he would be very sad if I didn't hear him read me a story.

* * *

_I opened my eyes and got up. It was time to go out on patrol!_

_No, no, wait. We were already on the surface. I must be dreaming of the Underground again._

_I need to wake up Papy and get to our posts soon._

_Getting up from the bed, I go to Papy's door._

_*KNOCK KNOCK*_

_A groan is heard from the other side._

_"who's there?"_

_"ADORE"_

_Papy sighs loudly._

_"adore who?"_

_"ADORE IS BETWEEN US, OPEN UP!"_

_The door opened showing my brother wearing his hoodie._

_"IT IS TIME FOR BREAKFAST, LAZYBONES! YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN UP AGES AGO!"_

_"i know"_

_"WELL HURRY UP, WE WILL BE LATE IF WE DON'T EAT SOON AND THE MAGNIFICENT SANS AND HIS INCREDIBLE BROTHER (NOT AS INCREDIBLE AS ME OF COURSE BUT A CLOSE SECOND) CAN'T BE LATE"_

_"awww... can i sleep 5 more minutes?"_

_"IF YOU DO, I WILL HAVE TO KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR AGAIN"_

_He immediately started to make his way downstairs._

_He loves my jokes, I know that he is smiling._

_We ate breakfast together, and we went out, I walked towards Waterfall while he made his way to his post._

_I miss the days when I was a sentry. And, I miss the snow a bit too, we are supposed to get snow soon in the surface._

_Okay, time to check on Papyrus!_

_I run to his post and I find him standing up away from it._

_In front of him, Human Chara is standing up._

_Eh? This... We didn't meet the Human here._

_"PAPYRUS!!! HAVE YOU FOUND A HUMAN YET?!?!"_

_"yeah."_

_"REALLY?! WOWZERS! GUESS THAT'S SETTLED!!!"_

_The Human is in front of Papy! Why did I say that?_

_I kept walking and stopped to talk to Papy._

_"SO, PAPY? WHEN'S THE HUMAN SHOWING UP? I WANT TO LOOK MY TACO TUESDAY BEST. OR AT LEAST MY FRIES-DAY GREAT."_

_"don't you have one costume?"_

_"YES, BUT I COULD STYLE MY MOUSTACHE"_

_"oh. yeah. great idea. hey, why don't you look over there?"_

_Oh, it's Human Chara again. For some reason, Papy and I started turning so fast, we ended spinning. But something feels... different._

_"I'M ALL WOOZY NOW, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT?"_

_"behold."_

_"EH... PAPY? WHY DO I HAVE TO LOOK AT A ROCK?"_

_"hey, what's that in front of the rock?"_

_I think I remember this, but I also don't. It feels so... familiar._

_"OH MY GOD!!! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT IS!"_

_That's a human! I know it is a human, I knew it when Papyrus told me to look in front of the rock!_

_I can feel myself talking, but this isn't how our first meeting went. Why is everything different yet so similar?_

_Oh! I'm moving away. Right, I need to prepare the puzzles and riddles to "capture" the human. Mwehehe, I can't wait to..._

_They are skipping the puzzles. Human Chara likes puzzles and riddles._

_Why do their clothes look, more and more untidy?_

_It is snow the one that is sticking to their sweater._

_At least they aren't holding the knife anymore. But the pink glove. It is rattling my bones._

_I leave the human and make my way to the entrance of Waterfall. In the end, they ignored everything._

_But surely I could still befriend them!_

_"HALT, HUMAN!"_

_Why do they keep moving?_

_Stop, Human! Please, stop. Don't get near, I don't wanna fight you!_

_"HUMAN! I THINK YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO KEEP YOU ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW!"_

_Why are they covered in so much... dust? It is not... Not._

_"BUT WORRY NOT! I, SANS... WILL GLADLY BE YOUR FRIEND AND TUTOR!"_

_Please, Human._

_"I WILL TURN YOUR LIFE RIGHT AROUND!"_

_Don't get near..._

_"OH? YOU ARE APPROACHING ME?"_

_I have to move._

_"ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE?"_

_Don't._

_"WOWZERS!"_

_Be._

_"MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING!!!"_

_So._

_"I, SANS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!"_

_Innocent._

_"..."_

_..._

_"I BELIEVE IN YOU."_

_..._

_I opened my eyes and got up. It was time to go out on patrol!_

_What? The Human, they dusted me!_

_Why is the day starting again?_

_Getting up from the bed, I go to Papy's door._

_*KNOCK KNOCK*_

_What is going on?_

_I see the day repeat and repeat, over and over again._

_"ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE?"_

_"WOWZERS!"_

_"MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING!!!"_

_They are going to dust me! Move._

_"I, SANS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!"_

_Move!_

_"m o v e!!!"_

_Papy?_

_"PAPYRUS!"_

_A pile of dust and Papyrus' orange hoodie was all that I saw left of him._

_And they, T H A T D E M O N , would ignore me._

_Over._

_And over again._

_..._

_I had to stop them. I grabbed the hoodie and I waited... In the Last ~~Corr i d o r .~~_

* * *

A loud bang woke me up.

What the... I looked around me and I saw my battle body in the ground.

I was covered in sweat and there were bones everywhere. Not the ones I used earlier at the supermarket.

The KR ones.

...

I should go check on Papyrus and the... H-human.

I dressed myself up, I just... wanted to get ready. You know, in case I wanted to go jogging.

I go to the guest room and open the door. Chara is still sleeping in the bed. Their cheeks as pink as always.

I leave the room as fast and silently as I could. I need to check on Papyrus.

When I try to open the door to his room, I find it locked.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"PAPY?" I whisper "KNOCK KNOCK? PAPYRUS?"

Why isn't he answering?

*KNOCK KNOCK*

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"PAPY? PAPYRUS? ARE YOU THERE?" 

I hear a sound come from the guest room, and in a moment of panic, I teleport right inside Papyrus' room.

I felt dizzy, and it took me a moment to focus and regain my sight. The room was a mess, and Papyrus was nowhere in sight.

I moved every pile of clothing, book, and papers I found. 

Was the dust in the room there because of a lack of cleanliness or...?

I teleported to every room of the house, my dizziness kept increasing. I feel so lazy, but teleporting was the only thing fast enough to...

The basement. 

I teleport one last time, and I could see the room spinning around me, the blueprints, the machine, Papyrus...

"PAPYRUS!" I hugged him tightly.

"bro?" he hugged me back "what're you doing awake? and" I feel him move and look at the locked door "teleporting? did you teleport here?"

"UH... YOU WEREN'T IN YOUR ROOM" Wowzers, the room must be warm, I can feel the sweat back.

Then why am I shivering?

"sans? are you okay?" I feel Papy's hand on my face and see my tears.

The noise from the machine in the middle of the room distracts me.

"PAPYRUS? WHAT'S THAT SOUND?"

"what? i don't know what-"

*BEEP BEEP VROOO*

*knock knock knock* 

"Sans? Papy? What's that sound?" Chara's voice asked from behind the door.

"no, no, no, no"

I see Papyrus moving, the cacophony of the machine didn't let me hear anything.

"WE ARE OKAY! GO TO YOUR ROOM, CHARA!"

"Is that Papy's machine?!" I could see the doorknob moving, but I couldn't hear the rattling it was supposed to make.

I shouted as loud as I could.

"WHAT CAN I DO?!"

"-ot- tel-"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"do- n- t-lep -t"

"PAPY, YOU HAVE TO BE LOUDER!"

"--- te- port!"

"TELEPORT?!"

"do-- t- tele-- rt!" He was shaking his head.

"OKAY! I WON'T TELE-"

A ripping sound was the only thing we got to hear. 

Or more like..., we didn't. 

A breach to the Void was by our side. Its mere presence absorbing the sound. It was weird, it was so noisy around us, yet it was as if we could hear the silence of the Void.

That's impossible. You can't hear the silence.

But we could hear the things flying towards the Void. And we could see the door starting to get off the frame.

I had to get Papyrus out. 

I summoned a line of bones that pierced through the floor and started walking towards Papyrus. He was too close to the rift.

I got to his side and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'LL GET US OUT!"

"i have to stay! i need to turn it off and seal it!"

"I'LL DO IT! YOU HAVE TO LEAVE, PAPY!"

"if you teleport the void will close! you won't be able to get out!"

The door chose that moment to break, Chara held the doorframe and screamed.

Papyrus and I summoned bones to create a makeshift door. 

We didn't notice the door flying towards us, we only focused on our little friend who was in danger.

And we got through the rift, holding the door tightly.

...

I never liked the Void. I found it terrifying. I did like teleporting, but I always preferred to do my best so I would run instead.

When I saw Papy close his eyes and release the door, I tried to reach out to him.

I wasn't fast enough.

* * *

**The desert.**

"UGH... PAPYRUS?" Sans woke up, in the middle of... sand.

The only thing around was sand, sand, and more sand. And no signs of Papyrus.

"PAPY!!! IF CAN YOU HEAR ME, FOLLOW MY VOICE!"

He kept shouting.

_But nobody came._

He didn't have magic. He didn't have his phone. And he didn't have his little brother.

He was alone. On his knees, in the middle of the desert.

_*SOB*_

"NO!" he wiped his tears with his bandana "I CAN'T CRY! PAPYRUS NEEDS ME!"

He stood up and posed proudly.

"I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, WILL SAVE MY LITTLE BROTHER!" the breeze of the desert was warm and it moved his bandana dramatically.

"That's nice." A voice said behind Sans "But who will save you, Sans?"

...

Sans woke up once more, this time, trapped inside a box, a wooden one to be precise. There was a bag with some liquid? And what looked like... Actually, he didn't know what it was. Those were strips of something. Smelled nice.

"Are you sure this is it?" Oh? A different voice.

"DZ paid a high price for this one." Another one, compared to the nasal one that spoke before, this one was wobbly.

"It didn't wake up for what? Like 2 months? Surely this one is dead." Nasal said.

"Should we check?" Wobbly said.

A loud bang sounded. It sounded like wood. 

Now that he noticed, the crate was rocking a bit.

"We need to leave! The Requiem is here!" There it was, the desert attacker's voice.

"What about the skeleton?" Wobbly asked.

"It must be dead already! Just leave it, DZ already paid, we can't ditch it. Let's go! Into the Circle!" The desert attacker shouted.

The sound of steps running around, no, above him, stopped and no voices were heard. Sans only felt a pulse of something in his SOUL.

Well, now he could wait and then try to escape. But what was this requiem?

His bones were rattling in excitement at this riddle.

Wait, he wasn't the one rattling.

*BOOM*

"WOWZERS!" The crate shook abruptly.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *SPLASH*

"WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"Thar be no one on this ship, Captain!" _A ship?!_

"Look Around For Clues And Leave As Soon As Possible" commanded a silvery voice. It was a matter-of-fact kind of voice.

"Uh, Doctor, thar be a crate floatin' away!" Said Pirate.

"FATHER!" A chipper voice shouted, it sounded louder than the others, but very far too, "DO YE RECKON THAR BE SOMETHIN' IMPORTANT IN THE CRATE?!"

"Why Are You Speaking That Way Too?!" exclaimed Silvery.

"I THOUGHT 'TIS TH' WAY PIRATES NATTERED!" replied Chipper. Wowzers, he had nicknames for everyone very fast. Maybe he should come up with one for himself.

"What-" Silvery sounded far.

Or maybe it was because the waves got louder, and the crate was rocking way harder.

"HELP ME!" Sans shouted realizing he should have done that sooner. "I'M INSIDE THE CRATE."

But nobody came.

* * *

**Day 8, since the ship incident.**

He managed to open the box with his battle body. It broke in the process, but now he could see clearly around him. 

"YOU COULD SAY... IT REST IN PIECES! MWEHEHEH."

Loneliness wasn't affecting the Magnificent Sans at all.

The ocean was so big and blue. The color of a precious jewel. The air was salty and it was all around.

He found out that the strips were edible. They were really tasty for the first week.

He was already tired of them.

"AT LEAST I HAVE YOU, BAGGY!"

He looked at the bag with water in the opposite corner.

At first, he drank all the water. Then he tried to drink the ocean water. It was awful. It was awfully salty and somehow it made his throat dry. It was a lot to say since he didn't have a throat.

But he made a discovery that probably saved his life. The ocean water turned into normal water if he filled Baggy with it.

Baggy was an awesome friend.

"SO I WAS THINKING ABOUT A NICKNAME AGAIN, BAGGY." He smiled while taking a bite of another strip. "I GOT ATTACKED IN MY FIRST DAY! THEN SOMEONE PAID FOR ME AND PUT ME IN A BOX AND THEN PIRATES ATTACKED THE SHIP!" Sans grabbed Baggy "I CLEARLY NEED AN ALIAS. ONE THAT KEEPS MY IDENTITY A SECRET, DESERT ATTACKER KNOWS MY NAME AND DZ PAID FOR ME, SO SURELY THEY KNOW IT AND WILL LOOK FOR ME."

"..." 

"EXACTLY! IF SOMEONE CAPTURED ME AGAIN, THEY COULD USE THAT AGAINST PAPY!"

"..."

"MWEHEHEH! YOU KNOW IT, BAGGY!"

"..."

"I WAS THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THE NAMES TIMELORDS HAVE, I COULD BE _THE SHERIFF"_

"..."

"BECAUSE MY NAME IS SANS SERIF?"

"..."

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I INVENTED A FRIEND THAT DOESN'T GET PUNS. SIGH." He sounded like a crazy skeleton and it has been barely a week "NO, I'M NOT GOING CRAZY. I JUST MADE UP A FRIEND SO THAT I DON'T GO CRAZY, IT IS BETTER THAT WAY. IN ANY CASE, I WILL LEAVE THE NICKNAME FOR LATER."

"..."

"GOODNIGHT BAGGY"

* * *

***WHAM***

What was going on now?

"Oh, sweet Uh'nja!" 

"WHA-?" In front of Sans was a cloaked figure. That was screaming. A shrieking cloaked figure.

"HELLO?"

"Hello" a lizard was in front of him.

"AHHH!" Who was this lizard?

"My name is Sazire, yours?" Continued the Lizard biting on red fruit.

"UH..." _Fast Sans, look around_ "BERRY..."

"Berry?" asked Sazire.

"BERRY, BLUE BERRY. THE SKELETON" Sans held out his hand.

"That's not your name, right?" Sazire shook his hand, their grip was delicate.

"OF COURSE IT IS" he acted confident.

"Who gave you that name?"

"MY DAD, GOOD."

"What?"

"HIS NAME WAS GOOD BERRY" The ocean breeze kept him from sweating. He could do this, he just needed to keep his mind in the game.

"Wait, are you serious?"

"NO, I AM BLUE BERRY, WHO IS SERIOUS?"

Sazire looked at him confused.

"No one?"

"EXACTLY!" Sans looked behind him and saw it was night. "WOWZERS, IT WILL BE MY BEDTIME SOON."

"It is a little after 7 pm?" 

"I GO TO SLEEP AT 9 PM AND WAKE UP AT 5 AM, I, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE BERRY, AM A RELIABLE SKELETON WITH HEALTHY HABITS."

"Do you want to... continue navigating there or... do you wanna get inside?" The Lizard pointed at the cave behind them.

"THANKS FOR THE INVITATION, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CAVE, SAZIRE THE..."

"Dragonborn, I'm a Dragonborn."

"SAZIRE THE DRAGONBORN, WHO IS YOUR DRAGON PARENT?"

"No, no. I was not born from a dragon, only the very first one of us got the honor to be shaped by them. I'm just a simple Dragonborn girl."

"Sazire!" Cloaky finally stopped screaming and pointed at Sans "That thing talked."

"I'M A SKELETON MONSTER!"

"His name is Blue Berry, your necromancer surely was awful at naming you."

Oh, he knows what those are, _Papy likes fantasy_ "I THINK YOU ARE CONFUSING ME, I WASN'T SUMMONED BY ANYONE. I WAS BORN IN THE UNDERGROUND, AND GOOD BERRY WAS MY FATHER, I EVEN HAVE A BROTHER, ORANGE BERRY."

"Oranges aren't berries."

"HE WANTED A MORE ORIGINAL NAME FOR MY LITTLE BROTHER." He offered his hand once more "WHERE ARE MY MANNERS? MY NAME IS BLUE BERRY, THE SKELETON. WHAT'S YOUR NAME?"

"Jexi, the Gnome." _A gnome?! Wowzers, Papy must be fascinated wherever he is._ "Please, come in."

He grabbed baggy and followed the gnome and Dragonborn inside the cave. They kept walking until they got to some stairs that descended.

"WOWZERS... WHAT IS THIS PLACE?"

Jexi and Sazire looked at each other.

"Uh... didn't you get an invitation?" asked the gnome

"NO? I WAS BROUGHT HERE BY THE WAVES."

Jexi took off the hood of her cloak, revealing her face, in her forehead, there was the tattoo of... a mirror with a fire in the front and an aurora on top. They made a reverence in front of him.

"We have been expecting you, Dual One." said both synchronized. 

"UHHH? DUAL ONE?"

"You... you know the prophecy, right?" Sazire asked.

"SORRY LADIES, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA, SURELY YOU CONFUSED ME WITH SOMEONE ELSE."

"Oh no, Blueberry, you are the Dual One" affirmed Jexi. "We will give you all the things you need, and tell you about the mission."

"OKAY, JUST DON'T CALL ME DUAL ONE, BLUE BERRY IS FINE." 

"As you wish, Blueberry" both continued walking.

They arrived in front of a mirror, Sans held Baggy closer to his body. It started shining, and he could tell it was magical. He needed to be careful.

Jexi walked to the mirror and got inside. Sazire followed her. 

Sans looked in the mirror and only found his reflection. He looked smaller without his battle body. He sighed, took a last chug of water, and walked inside too.

...

As soon as he started crossing it, he felt familiar dizziness, one that affected his SOUL. The one that brought him here in the first place.

The Void.

Whatever the mirror was, he didn't like it. He was okay after crossing it, but if it had some relation to the Void, it was better to find all he could about the people here. He just needed to act innocent.

He was cute, people confused him with a child. That was fine. 

No one had to know he was more than he let on.

He looked around in awe.

"IT LOOKS JUST LIKE THE OTHER SIDE!"

"Look behind the mirror now," said the Dragonborn smiling.

It looked nothing like the mirror.

"Welcome to The Credulous Hideout."

There stood an open sky, an Aurora of green and light blue shining and dancing. A meadow was in front of him, and he could smell Lemon Balm. He ignored the memories of the infusion and took notice of the few tents in front of him. Eleven to be precise.

"THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE."

"It is, Blueberry, come, follow me to the Everfire." Jexi kept walking. "Sazire, call the others, the ones that are left, please." Sazire made a reverence and went inside the closest tent. A cloaked figure stepped out and both entered the other tent.

Once they were in front of the wood fire in the middle of the tents, Sans sat down on a tree stump.

Sazire arrived, the eight cloaked figures that followed her took off their hoods one by one, presenting themselves.

"I'm Cure Blossom, the Tabaxi. Welcome, Dual One."

"Greetings, Dual One, my name is Brynmylah, the Dwarf." She pointed to the one next to her "This is Potion Swirl, the Kenku" they made the sound of their name. "Don't mind him."

"Gehka Dreamworker, Dual One, a lady Goliath." She said with a wink. Sans only replied with a smile.

"Perdius, the Tiefling, this is my husband, Oloqen, the Elf. And the little ones are our twin boys Aehfaren and Nefareah, the Fey'ri."

"Say hello to the Dual One, kids"

"Hello!" Said the little ones, showing their forked tongues.

"HELLO TO EVERYONE! I'M BLUE BERRY AND I WOULD APPRECIATE, BERRY MUCH THAT YOU DIDN'T CALL ME THE DUAL ONE." The kids giggled, one of them talked "You said, _berry_ instead of _very,_ Mr. Blueberry."

"GASP! I DID!" Sans, covered his teeth with his hand "ORANGE YOU SMART FOR NOTICING?" he giggled again. And the other talked.

"You did it again, Mr. Blueberry." 

"REALLY? I DIDN'T NOTICE" Sans smiled sincerely "I'M VERY GRAPEFUL YOU TWO TOLD ME, I GET A PEELING THAT I WON'T MAKE ANOTHER MISCAKE WITH YOU TWO AROUND."

The twins sat near Sans laughing.

"You are very good with children, Blue Berry," said Gehka approaching.

"YES, I RAISED MY BROTHER ON MY OWN."

"What about Mr. Good Berry?" asked Jexi.

"I... I DON'T KNOW" it was true, he didn't know where his dad was. Or if he even had parents.

"Jexi, we need to tell him the prophecy."

"Oh, that's right, Brynmylah." Jexi nodded.

"Take a seat, because we will tell you the story of how we ended here," said Gehka.

* * *

_A long time ago, Eleven people from the Nine Races turned the world upside down. The balance of it was devastated._

_Athana, the Ethereal._

_Merxis, the Insignificant._

_Merry Tale, the Thirsty._

_Tazziros, the Flippant._

_Syrlet, the Absent-minded._

_Paint Stroke, the Manipulator._

_Kraveith, the Homewrecker._

_Akshoom, the Saint._

_Bellewyn, the Cacophonous._

_Garland Evernight, the Author._

_Iriniah, the Credulous._

_The only one to notice the disturbance was Iriniah, a cleric of Uh'nja, the God of Sweet Whispers._

_Lady Iriniah prayed to Uh'nja and would use his power to heal everyone, and bring them back from the evil clutches of Souheth, the Death Herald._

_She could heal anyone. When the Wicked Death hit the continent of Othein, she did her work and healed every person that contracted the disease. She brought them to her shrine, where they would pray for the end of this ailment. She was winning against the curse Souheth cast in those people!_

_But then Paint Stroke appeared and turned them into walking corpses._

_Iriniah couldn't stop Paint Stroke, she was too strong._

_So she went to ask for the help of Garland, they were a legendary bard, but they refused._

_Iriniah, worried went back to her shrine and found every single of her followers dead._

_Paint Stroke was there too. And in one last effort, Iriniah sacrificed herself sending her very last prayer._

_"I pray for 11 of my followers to reincarnate, and restore balance. Uh'nja, protect them and guide them, for they will find the Dual One, a legendary cleric that will lead us all. And will bring back the era of healers."_

_After her sacrifice and prayer, Paint Stroke, the necromancer was praised as a heroine by Garland in one of their songs. And everyone turned their back towards healers. Calling us abominations and cycle breakers._

* * *

Everyone but the family looked devastated.

"Every single one of us was born with healing abilities, but none but the Dual One can receive, Un'jah's blessing. That's you, Blue Berry. We are the druids and healers meant to follow you. You share the nature of the undead but act as if you were alive, almost as if you had a soul." Gehka smiled warmly at Sans.

"Your mission is to find the last follower of Iriniah, a human healer. After that, the Eleven of us will complete Iriniah's ritual and make you the strongest cleric in history.

"GIVE ME A SECOND, THIS IS A LOT OF INFORMATION TO TAKE IN, I NEED TIME TO PROCESS." _Okay Sans, breathe in._

Oloqen held up his hand "The children need to sleep soon, we have to head back to our tent."

"I think it will be better if we give the Dual One some space to think, it is late, we should all rest." said the tabaxi standing up.

"We understand," the Goliath smirked, "It is late, my tent is the closest to the Everfire if you need me."

"UH HUH" he was going to make sure to stay away from it.

One by one, each of them retired to their tents. And Sans remained sitting in front of the fire. Staring intensely at how the flames danced, they were reflecting in his big pupils and the tears of his blue face, his shoulders shaking.

It was the worst story he heard in a century. And he did read the crack fanfics that Undyne wrote from her so-called "Manimes." The Goliath was the worst storyteller. 

Oh Stars, were they wrong for thinking he didn't have a soul.

He was alive!

This was so bad that it was funny.

Still, he would need to find out which parts are true and which parts are a lie. Could he solve this mystery, this new riddle in front of him, and find his brother?

Yes. Yes, he can.

He just needed a strategy.

Time to make a plan.

* * *

**Step One. Find out how to get his magic back.**

"GOOD MORNING, PERDIUS! DID YOU AND YOUR FAMILY SLEEP WELL?" He really liked the family, the kids were adorable.

"Of course, Blue Berry, what about you?" he smiled at him.

"WELL, I COULDN'T REST TOO MUCH" he looked down his shoulders sagged "I HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE PROPHECY AND COULDN'T REST."

"Oh no, that's terrible, Blue Berry." the tiefling sounded worried about him.

This was his chance.

"WOULD YOU PLEASE HELP ME? I WOULD ASK SOMEONE ELSE BUT," he gave Perdius the same look one of his children gave when they were about to cry "THEY ARE SCARED OF ME, RIGHT? BECAUSE..." a tear fell down his left socket "BECAUSE I HAVE NO SOUL."

"Blue Berry, I..." Oloqen appeared and witnessed the scene, Aehfaren, and Nefareah side by side holding his hand.

"Daddy? Why is Mr. Blueberry crying?" Asked Aehfaren.

"Papa, did you say something mean to Mr. Blue?" wondered Nefareah.

"Oloqen, help me a bit here."

"NO, HE DIDN'T MAKE ME CRY... IT IS JUST THAT, EVERYONE, I CAN FEEL THAT YOU ARE TERRIFIED OF ME BEING A SOULLESS SKELETON."

"Oh, no Mr. Blue, we" Oloqen took out of his pocket a handkerchief and started wiping his tears away "we are not scared, right children?"

"We like you BERRY much!" said both harmoniously.

"IS IT TRUE?" The twins were so precious, he felt a bit bad.

"Yes, Mr. Blue, in fact," the tiefling turned towards his family "what if we all help Mr. Blue?"

"That is a fantastic idea, Perdius!" clapped the elf.

"All right! You can have breakfast with us in our tent," Perdius turned to his children "Aehfaren, Nefarereah, why don't you tell the rest that Mr. Blue is going to spend the day with us? Just tell them he isn't feeling well.

"Okay, Papa!"

"Let's go, Aehfaren!"

They walked inside the tent, Sans offered to help with breakfast, but the couple refused, saying that they had everything ready, they were only waiting for the Tiefling to invite him.

"WERE YOU GOING TO INVITE EVERYONE ELSE TOO?"

"Oh no, no, we would never do that," said the tiefling shaking his head.

"Perdius!" 

"WHY NOT?"

"Oloqen, he should know now than later." the elf groaned in response.

"Our children, they are hybrids."

"I NOTICED."

Perdius moved his head and made a motion with his head.

"They are elf tiefling hybrids."

"THEY ARE VERY CUTE CHILDREN, THEY LOOK JUST LIKE YOU TWO."

Oloqen sighed "People think they are abominations."

"They think that it is weird because after giving birth to them, Oloqen asked to be changed to a male, permanently."

"HOW DID YOU DO THAT?"

"I asked the help of a warlock," Oloqen turned his face to the side.

"I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS YOUR STORY."

"Don't you get it? We are druids, my husband rejected his nature, made a deal with a warlock and our children are abominations in the eyes of everyone!" Perdius pointed out of the tent "They are the only people that won't hurt us because of all that, because they need the four of us for the last ritual."

"I'M SORRY," Sans tilted his head "I JUST DON'T SEE THE PROBLEM WITH ANYTHING YOU TWO DID."

The couple was stunned.

"WARLOCKS AREN'T NECESSARILY EVIL, RIGHT?"

"No."

"AND YOU JUST CHANGED TO FEEL MOST COMFORTABLE WITH YOURSELF."

"Yes."

"AND YOU TWO LOVE EACH OTHER, RIGHT?"

"Absolutely" "Definitely"

"SO THERE IS NO PROBLEM AT ALL, MAYBE YOU DIDN'T TRAVEL ENOUGH TO FIND A PLACE THAT WOULDN'T CARE ABOUT YOUR LOOKS." He stood up, "I, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUEBERRY, THINKS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG AND BELIEVE THAT YOU FOUR WILL FIND A PLACE, NOT TO HIDE, BUT TO CALL HOME!"

When the arms of the now crying couple got around Sans, and they hugged him thanking him, he found out one truth about this world.

There was discrimination for the silliest of things.

He just hugged them tighter consoling both.

...

After the children returned, they found their parents smiling like they never did before, and laughing with a friend.

It turned out, that Sans' plan started and ended that same day. 

He learned that to follow his "cleric" destiny, he needed something called a holy symbol, the mark of Un'jah (the same tattoo Jexi had on her forehead), get the God's blessing and after that everything was just practice.

It has been about 2 months and a week or so since he arrived in this world. He could do this.

...

Three weeks later, Sans was in front of the Everfire. Everyone was around him waiting for the ceremony to start.

"Blue Berry, our Dual One, our promised hero, the savior of healers and restorer of balance. Please, step forward." Cure Blossom was the one in charge of the ceremony. He stepped in front of her "Relax, and hold this locket in your hand, the mark of Un'jah God of Sweet Whispers is in it. Once you hold it, you will be the only one able to hear him and he will test you, please, be honest with him because he will sense your lies."

Slowly, the skeleton approached his hand and closed it around the locket. Only to feel.

The most annoying laughter he ever heard in his skull.

_"Are you hearing what they say? How do they talk? They try to sound so mystical but it is so"_ and the laughter, the one only comparable to the sound of a hyena boomed confusing him.

_"Okay, so, Sans."_

_"HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?"_

_"I'm talking to you, in your head. Well, your SOUL." he laughed again "Let's make this short, okay? First of all, I am not the God of "Sweet Whispers" I'm the God of Satire, Clairvoyance, Healers, Sleight of Hand and Laziness, got it?"_

_"UH, YES?"_

_"Awesome, you are really smart, I can see that I have no idea what a video game is, but I see numbers here and... yeah, not gonna read that."_

_"WERE YOU IRINIAH'S GOD?"_

_"Yup, she was a performer, she would heal rich people, make them sleep, and steal from them to give the money to the poor. She did this everywhere, giving healers a bad reputation all around."_

_"WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HER?!"_

_"I thought it was funny at the time! I got too lazy to think ahead."_

_"YOU ARE SO IRRESPONSIBLE! THESE PEOPLE DEPEND ON YOU!"_

_"Yeah, but... I'm lazy, and I can't touch that realm directly, I need a healer. And luckily for me, you are one-"_

_"AND SO ARE THEY!"_

_"Yeah... no, they have been tricked by the big one."_

_"GEHKA?"_

_"Yeah, she wants to jump your bones, so you better go... out of the mirror in two months, only after learning how to use my magic and with her permission, or else they will hunt you down like a traitor. Well, climb the cliff where your box was and go towards the East, you will arrive at a dangerous Forest so walk around it, don't get in, just walk all the way around, from the South of it to the East part and walk straight towards the North, and yup, you will find your brother there."_

_"IF YOU CAN TELL THE FUTURE, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL IRINIAH ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT SHE DID?!"_

_"Duh, God of Laziness? And I did tell her, but she didn't listen and decided to become a Lich so I walked away from her, told my dad, Souheth, what she was doing with the Wicked smoke thingy and took a nap."_

_"YOU... TOOK A NAP?"_

_"Yes."_

_"AND WHEN YOU WOKE UP, WHAT DID YOU DO?"_

_"Talk to you."_

_"WHAT?"_

_"I just woke up from my nap, to tell you all that. You will be free to use my magic but if you show me something entertaining, I may share the future with you. So, yeah, get back to your mission of giving healers a good reputation, find your brother, soulbond a maiden, and don't let Gehka reunite every healer, if she does get them all, she will sacrifice them become a lich and blah blah blah, so, Sansy, send everyone to find the other healer, and... *yawn* send the family to Merxis, that place will be safe. Good night, Sans! Call me in a month!"_

_"WAIT! ONE MORE QUESTION!"_

_"What?"_

_"WHY ARE YOU THE GOD OF ALL THAT?"_

_"Because my dad is also the God of Chaos, and decided to have children with the Goddess of Games and Retribution when they got drunk."_

_"OH."_

_"They love each other, so no drama. Now, why I got those 5 things? Because I'm the youngest of quintuplets, so I got what no one else wanted."_

_"SORRY..."_

_"Just let me sleep."_

_"GOOD NIGHT, UN'JAH"_

_..._

"UHHHH..." Everyone was staring at him, he got his skull in something uncomforta- 

Sans rolled himself out of Gehka's lap.

Evil lap.

"UN'JAH APPROVED ME AND DEMANDS THAT I, HIS MAGNIFICENT CLERIC, RESTORE THE GOOD REPUTATION OF HEALERS. I NEED TO TRAIN!"

Everyone cheered and celebrated for him.

Sans just made sure to stay away from the Goliath.

* * *

**Blueberry's PoV**

It had been more than a month since I climbed the cliff and started walking around the massive forest, Un'jah was napping again.

I feel so... alone.

Everything went according to the plan, but now... I've been walking around for weeks, at least now it was an open space. I like my new attire, to be precise, my boots. They are so comfortable but so noisy. They make this slight clinking sound, and I don't like it.

At least, the beautiful voice approaching was nice, I remember the song from one of those anime Undyne made us watch.

"All the school kids so sick of books"

"FOR THE LAST TIME, STOP SINGING" Huh, I lifted my gaze and noticed that I was walking behind them, at a decent distance to hear them speak.

"They like the punk and the metal band"

"come on, edge, you love it when she sings," said the blue one.

"When the buzzer rings"

"oh whey oh"

I thought it was only one singer, but there are two.

"YOU HAVE BEEN SINGING, ALL THIS TIME!" The black one sounds so mean!

"All the kids in the marketplace say"

"whey oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh"

Now three are singing. I can't see the one in the front tho. Ugh, the mean one doesn't let me see.

"Walk like an Egyptian."

"Come on, Edge! You gotta join one road song, at least!" Said the smallest one, the one with the enchanting voice!

"I AGREED TO PROTECT YOU, NOT BECOME A TROUPE WITH THE TWO BUFFOONS," Edge said, I think his name is that? 

"hey, that wasn't ice" the blue one commented.

"Pffft, there snow way you made a winter pun during autumn."

"NYAAAAH!!! DON'T START YOU TWO!"

"i'm with him in this one" I can't believe it!

"OH, MY STARS! PAPY!" I teleported in front of him and hugged him. "DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU?!"

"sans?" I lifted Papy and started spinning him around. A startled nyeh came out of him. He has no idea how much I missed that sound. Things have been so weird.

"I MISSED YOU, LAZYBONES!" I didn't care about the audience, but I did pay attention to what they were saying.

"Sans, is that Sans as in his Sans?"

"i think so" 

"FANTASTIC, THEY FOUND EACH OTHER, NOW THE LETHARGIC ASHTRAY CAN LEAVE, NYAHAHAH!"

"HEY!" I released Papy and turned to face the black one "DID YOU CALL MY BROTHER LETHARGIC ASHTRAY?"

"AND WHAT IF I DID, BABYBONES?" He... did he call me...?

"PAPY MAY BE LAZY, SLEEP A LOT, START DAYDREAMING TO STOP PAYING ATTENTION, BUT HE IS NOT AN ASHTRAY!"

"Papy? That's such a sweet nickname" I turned to see the pretty... beautiful...

"sans?" She looks so adorable.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM, POCKET COMEDIAN?"

"uh... i don't know?"

"Stretch? What did I do?! I think I broke him!" She is touching my face "Sans, are you okay?" 

"KNOCK KNOCK"

"Who's there?"

"ORANGE"

"Orange who?"

"ORANGE YOU DREAMY" I take the hand she has in my face and I kiss it "MUAH! I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, WHAT SHOULD I CALL YOU BEAUTIFUL MAIDEN?" 

She giggles, her face has the cutest blush I've ever seen "My name is Y/N Truthheart, pleased to meet you, Sans."

"but I'm sans." I look at the small skeleton and... is that... me?

"Oh, shoot, right..."

"IS THIS LIKE THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR?"

"kinda, but i'm from another universe."

"I GET IT!" I squeeze Y/N's hand that was still in mine "DON'T WORRY, MAIDEN! I UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION, YOU MAY CALL ME THE MAGNIFICENT BLUEBERRY."

"But, wouldn't you like to have your name?" She is so caring.

"DON'T WORRY, MAIDEN, I'VE BEEN USING THIS NAME BECAUSE I TRAVEL WITH AN ALIAS." I smile to my counterpart "IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU, SANS!"

"heh, same"

"Awwww, it is berry nice to see you two to get along!" I smirk to myself.

Un'jah was right.

I'm gonna soulbond a maiden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blueberry is a Trickery Domain Cleric!
> 
> Gods of trickery are mischief-makers and instigators who stand as a constant challenge to the accepted order among both gods and mortals. They're patrons of thieves, scoundrels, gamblers, rebels, and liberators. Their clerics are a disruptive force in the world, puncturing pride, mocking tyrants, stealing from the rich, freeing captives, and flouting hollow traditions. They prefer subterfuge, pranks, deception, and theft rather than direct confrontation.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Yup, the first brothers to find each other are the Underswap bros. 
> 
> Worry not, dear readers, the Magnificent Blueberry will make sure to find everyone's lost siblings.
> 
> Now... will he share of his adventures with the party?
> 
> We will have to find out in chapter 8.5 "The Great and Terrible Journal of Edge, Champion of Vengeance."
> 
> Laterz~


	9. The Great and Terrible Journal of Edge, Champion of Vengeance.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge has always been an incredible strategist. 
> 
> Of course, that talent had to be nurtured. He learned the importance of recollecting information. It was easier in the Underground, and later on the surface, he had access to all the information. 
> 
> Now, he didn't count on that privilege.
> 
> And thus the idea of keeping a journal emerged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, a chapter that doesn't have as a title a song that may or may not make sense because of its lyrics :0c
> 
> That's a first lol
> 
> But in case you are wondering which song was the one that kicked me to write today well... uhhhh... A Death Metal funny song?
> 
> The song is called Glass of Milk from the album Skeleton Metal III by Vargskelethor aka Joel.
> 
> Yup.

**Merxis 14th, Year 324 A.11.**

**Entry Number 98:**

Even with my incredible learning skills, I still don't get used to Aklirim's calendar. At least, the way I handle it is better than our newest "ally."

That's how her, Lady Y/N, refers to all of us. She just met him but seems to be fast to trust him. The first interaction they had was incredibly ~~irritating~~ ~~annoying~~ INAPPROPRIATE. 

Once more, I take over the second watch. The one right after hers. 

~~She wished me a good night and before leaving patted my head.~~

I have to keep a close eye on her tomorrow and make sure the others keep their distance.

* * *

"HEY, EDGE? ARE YOU A WRITER TOO?" The newest half-wit asked. He has been pestering with his questions since he arrived yesterday.

"NO, I AM NOT." If it wasn't because Lady Y/N is in the way, I would have summoned a bone as a warning not to bother me. When I did so yesterday, she didn't seem to approve it. She said that Dame Manthe wouldn't approve of such behavior around her.

"OH, IS THIS YOUR DIARY THEN?" he asked, holding my journal in his hand. I was sure I put it back under my pauldron.

"GIVE IT BACK, OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES," I demanded. It was the first and last warning he would get.

"BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE WRITING" he has a dejected look on his face, but there is something more.

"Blue, give it back to Edge," he sighs defeated. Her words aren't unkind, yet everyone bends to her will.

"ONLY FOR YOU, MAIDEN" he replies and hands it back, he smirks and leans into her and talks to her lowly. Of course, my hearing is far too superior to miss what he says "AREN'T YOU CURIOUS ABOUT THE CONTENTS?"

"Not really, he shows me some pages from time to time when I ask if I can see" she smiles at me "Right, Edge?"

"YOU HAVE PROVEN YOURSELF USEFUL AND WORTHY ENOUGH TO SEE THE CONTENTS OF THIS JOURNAL." I start checking if the contents are in order and if pages are missing. "HERE, I KEEP NOTES THAT ARE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING OUR CURRENT SITUATION, AND MANY OTHER POINTS THAT I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO SEE WITHOUT MY AUTHORIZATION."

"Edge?"

"YES, TINY PIXIE?"

"Could you share some of your notes to Blue? Please," She is biting her bottom lip again. She should stop doing that. "I think that maybe something that you wrote there can help him. I read your notes of the plants I was gathering and they are incredibly detailed and easy to understand, perhaps if he reads some he won't ask you many questions."

"IF MY NOTES GET HIM TO STOP BOTHERING US WITH HIS IDIOTIC QUESTIONS, THEN I AGREE."

"THANK YOU, YOUNG EDGE!" he moves to take my journal, but I hold my palm in front of him.

"ONLY, UNDER THE CONDITION THAT HE DOESN'T TOUCH IT."

"THEN HOW WILL I READ IT?" 

"THE TINY PIXIE WILL READ THE NOTES FOR YOU."

"Sure" she nodded and looked at the blue nitwit "I guess that means we will spend more time together."

"JUST THE TWO OF US?" there it is again, he has those stars in his eyes again. What do they mean?

"OF COURSE NOT, YOU BLUE BUNGLER! I WILL BE THERE TOO."

"How about we start now? Blue asked about the date yesterday, maybe we could start with that?" I already found the page he would need and handed it to her.

"JUST SHOW IT TO HIM, IT IS CONCISE ENOUGH FOR HIM TO MEMORIZE IT."

"Okay."

* * *

**Kraveith 33rd, Year 324 A.11.**

**Entry Number 2:**

The people of Aklirim don't have days of the week, they keep track of days by the month and day of the month only.

A year has 11 months and 3 days.

Each month has 33 days.

The 3 days left are meant to celebrate the most important deities, and each has one special event.

The months are:

  1. Paint Stroke - **Paint Stroke 30th, Beginning of Winter.**
  2. Syrlet
  3. Akshoom
  4. Tazziros - **Tazziros 23rd, Beginning of Spring.**
  5. Garland
  6. Bellewyn
  7. Kraveith - **Kraveith 15th, Beginning of Summer.**
  8. MerryTale
  9. Iriniah
  10. Merxis - **Merxis 8th, Beginning of Autumn.**
  11. Athana


  * Souheth's Day - **Solar Eclipse**
  * Aklirim's Day - **Meteor Shower**
  * Aethisia's Day - **Moon Eclipse**



It is the year 324 After the Eleven Deviants. A.11 for short.

* * *

**Merxis 18th, Year 324 A.11.**

**Entry Number 102:**

Sharing my notes became part of our daily routine, and eventually, the other two joined.

Even with my initial reluctance to share all my annotations, ~~the constant praise, and attention from her~~ I have to agree it has been a great method to gather more information.

I am ~~concerned~~ aware of potential threats that could ~~put her in danger~~ bother us later.

For now, I will finish this entry with the future annotations I have to make.

  * Start Entry Number 103, summarize the information about potential threats.
  * Start Entry Number 104, summarize the information about potential allies.
  * Start Entry Number 105, this one must not be shared. It will keep profiles of the "party" members. Meant to be analyzed for strategies.
  * Update Entry Number 17, there is new information I gathered. Discretion is advised.



* * *

"you made a what now?" Sans looked confused, which doesn't surprise me. All Sans seem to share that look of bewilderment whenever one presents them with the truth.

"I WROTE ENTRY NUMBER 103, ABOUT THE POTENTIAL THREATS AND THINGS WE HAVE TO AVOID BECAUSE" I look over at the other three skeletons sitting on the other side of the campfire, opposite to where I and ~~my~~ The Pixie Maiden are standing. "YOU THREE, TROUPE OF FOOLS, COULDN'T GET OUT OF TROUBLE ON YOUR OWN AND DIDN'T GET RID OF THOSE THREATS." 

"Edge, we haven't done anything wrong," I turn to look at her, "I'm sure you are just overthinking about things."

I start approaching her and lean closer to her face to stare into her eyes. She backs away from me a bit. I can feel her eyes scrutinizing every detail of my face, but she is avoiding my gaze.

"YOUR FATHER TASKED ME WITH YOUR PROTECTION, AND I PROMISED I WOULD DELIVER YOU BACK TO BOTH OF YOUR PARENTS UNHARMED" she finally returns my gaze, a faint blush on her face "THERE IS NO OVERTHINKING WHEN IT COMES TO KEEPING THAT PROMISE, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD, Y/N?" she nods

I stand straight again, and I see her sit over her bedroll and grab her pillow, burying half of her face in it. She looks ~~adorable, cute, pretty-~~ like a wimp.

"I WILL BE THE ONE READING THIS ENTRY, I WILL ONLY ALLOW QUESTIONS WHEN I FINISH. IF YOU HAVE TO ADD SOMETHING, KEEP THAT IN MIND AND WE CAN UPDATE THIS ENTRY LATER."

* * *

**Merxis 18th, Year 324 A.11.**

**Entry Number 103:**

The following annotations are about the potential threats the "party" has at the moment. 

I divided it into three different categories. Enemies, Allegiances, and Unknown. 

**Enemies.**

  1. **Doppel Züngig,** Tabaxi. Tazziros smuggling ringleader. The Bard helped her main enemy. Retaliation is almost certain. She won't fight directly. She can recognize two and possibly three of our party members. **HIGH RISK.**
  2. **Elite,** Tabaxi. Züngig's Bodyguard. They won't abandon her side. Fighting skills are unknown. Found by Züngig's side. **HIGH RISK.**
  3. **Gehka,** Goliath. Leader of a small sect. Easy to fool. Skills unknown. Her location is unknown. She will look for The Cleric. **INTERMEDIATE RISK.**



**Allegiances.**

  1. **People Traffickers,** Possible mercenaries. Kidnappers, skilled hunters, keep contact with Abristan. Seen in the desert and the sea. They know the name of the older skeletons. Headquarter' location is unknown. **HIGH RISK.**
  2. **Tazziros Guards,** Probably will stay in Tazziros' City. Low chances of some to be sent to find The Bard. They can recognize two of our party members. ~~(Keep Lady Y/N safe.)~~ **INTERMEDIATE** **RISK.**
  3. **Iriniah's followers,** Their current location is unknown. Easy to trick. They will look for The Cleric. **LOW RISK.**



**Unknown.**

  1. **The Requiem,** We don't know who they are or what it is. There is a conflict between them and the **People Traffickers.** **UNKNOWN RISK.**
  2. **Pirates,** Their existence is a threat. They could have some relation with **The Requiem or The People Traffickers. INTERMEDIATE RISK.**



**HIGH RISK.** Elimination of the threat is highly advised.

 **INTERMEDIATE RISK.** Avoid at all costs if possible.

 **LOW RISK.** Even when encountered, conflict can be avoided.

 **UKNOWN RISK.** Further information is needed. 

* * *

As soon as I finish reading, I ask "ANY QUESTIONS?" and of course, the main blue pest starts.

"WHY ARE IRINIAH'S FOLLOWERS ON THE LIST?" he is frowning slightly.

"BECAUSE YOU AREN'T INTERESTED IN THEIR MISSION, THEY WILL PROBABLY TRY TO GET YOU BACK, YOU IMBECILE." Of course, his question had to be stupid.

"Edge? What did you mean by Züngig" her face recoils in disgust at that name? Did she do something to ~~MY~~ Y/N? "recognizing maybe three of us?"

"THE CONNECTION BETWEEN YOU AND THE OVERGROWN CIGARETTE WILL BE CLEAR ONCE THE GUARDS TELL HER YOU ABANDONED THE CITY WITH SOMEONE." I look at the nosy one "AND PROBABLY SHE KNOWS ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF THIS NOSY PEST."

"i was thinking the same thing" adds Sans, he was really quiet. It is unusual to see him and the ashtray so still.

"so we can all agree about it." 

"DZ IS, DEFINITELY, DOPPEL ZÜNGIG" I didn't expect the blue pest to be the one to make the connection. Maybe he is more clever than he shows. But I doubt it.

I see her with her hands on her face. "I didn't want to make that connection," she looks at me through her fingers "but I have no choice but to admit it, right?" I sit by her side.

"CAN YOU SEE THAT I WASN'T OVERTHINKING?" I feel something lean against me. No, I can feel her face against my arm.

"Yeah, I can see that" she sighs and nuzzled my arm "I'm sorry Edge, I should have known all this on my own." 

"GETTING MUSHY WITH ME WON'T MAKE ME SPARE YOU." I look at her "YOU WILL HAVE TO MAKE IT UP TO ME FOR DOUBTING THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE'S ANALYZING SKILLS."

"I'm not mushy, just a bit sleepy" a ~~sweet~~ yawn makes it past her lips "Tell me tomorrow what you want, okay? And wake me up if anything happens. We all stayed up during my watch."

"just rest, honey," the ashtray says "get out of her bedroll so she can lie down, skullmageddon."

"YOU DON'T GET TO ORDER ME AROUND," standing up, I make my way to her side and sit on my bedroll. The Tiny Pixie said we should all sleep close to each other, of course, I won't let the others around her. I made the promise to protect her. If my bedroll is next to hers, is just a coincidence. "AND I DON'T KNOW WHO THIS SKULLMAGEDDON IS."

"YOU DON'T KNOW?! HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW HIM?" Why is the blue pest so surprised?

"Blue, I'm trying to sleep... silence." 

"yeah, blueberry, we are all bone-tired."

Why do we have to travel with the bundle of fools?

* * *

It is around 1 AM, my watch will end in about an hour, and I need to complete Entry Number 104. But I am missing some key information and is keeping me from continuing. At least, the one that can fill it is awake.

"SANS?" the magic clown is still wearing his robe. I wonder if it would reek of mustard if he had some. It doesn't matter, what matters is that he is ignoring me and I need ~~his help~~ information to complete Entry Number 104.

"I KNOW YOU ARE AWAKE, WIZARD." My voice comes as low as possible. There is no need to alert the others.

"hmm? yeah, couldn't sleep." I see him open one socket "what's up, edge?"

"WHAT IS YOUR BROTHER'S FULL NAME?" Ashtray didn't know his full name, maybe his parentage differs from the one the rest of us has.

"uh... shouldn't you know that? i mean, you are from a different place, but I'm sure your names are still the same."

"PAPYRUS ELSNER F. GASTER. THAT'S MY FULL NAME" the lethargic version of myself is still asleep. Good. "STRETCH DIDN'T KNOW HIS FULL NAME, HE JUST SAID PAPYRUS E. F. HE PROBABLY DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT WINGDINGS GASTER."

"... i see" both of his eye lights were studying me. "do you remember your pops?"

"YES." I frown, "NOW, REPLY TO WHAT I ASKED."

"flake."

"WHAT?"

"your names, the f. stands for flake"

"ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF ME?" It can't be that.

"nop" I can see his smile widen "my lil' bro is called papyrus elsner flake gaster."

"YOU ARE JOKING, RIGHT?" He has to be joking

"i'm serious, when it comes to paps, i'm at my most serious state." The one time he isn't joking. The ONE TIME he isn't and he tells me that the F. in my name stands for.

"IF YOU EVER MENTION TO ANYONE WHAT THE F. STANDS FOR, I WILL SLAY YOU."

"sure," he closes his sockets again and goes back to pretending he sleeping. "good night, flake"

The moment he falls asleep, I will murder him.

* * *

**Merxis 19th, Year 324 A.11.**

**Entry Number 104:**

Following the previous entry, I can't rule out the possibility of some allies to counter our predicaments with the potential threats.

There are four categories for this entry.

**Allies.**

  1. **Lost Tale, Heir of the House of Tazziros,** After being freed, he can keep in check or weaken DZ's forces. Status Unknown. **INTERMEDIATE POTENTIAL.**
  2. **Topsy Turvy,** Same as the Heir, she could weaken DZ's forces. Status Unknown. **LOW POTENTIAL.**
  3. **Eggath Truthheart, Master of The Obsidian Dynasty of Merxis, the Insignificant,** Of course, Sir Eggath Truthheart, Leader of the Dynasty and Paladin of Vengeance is on our side. A highly skilled swordsman, indomitable, with high amounts of stamina. Has divine help from Xylsis. **HIGH POTENTIAL.**
  4. **Manthe Truthheart, Master of The Obsidian Dynasty of Merxis, the Insignificant,** Dame Manthe Truthheart is also another ally with whom we can count without a doubt. Skills are unknown beyond her unquestionable integrity and steadfast leadership. **INTERMEDIATE POTENTIAL.**
  5. **Perdius and Oloqen,** After instructing them to travel to Merxis' they surely will become our allies thanks to the persuasion of the Truthhearts and the gratefulness they will feel for finding a home after the hardships they've been going through. Skills beyond healing are unknown. **INTERMEDIATE POTENTIAL.**
  6. **C. Sans Serif Gaster,** High magic levels, has experience in hand to hand combat, he is sturdy. ~~He is the Judge in our world.~~ Has low HP. Status Unknown. He is an indisputable ally. **HIGH POTENTIAL.**
  7. **Papyrus Elsner ~~Flake~~ Gaster, **Skills and Status are unknown. Received Royal Guard Formation. I expect the full potential and improvement room a Papyrus could have. Evident Ally. Location is Unknown. **INTERMEDIATE POTENTIAL.**
  8. **Grillby Estus,** Skills are unknown. As a Fire Elemental, his magic levels are high. Guaranteed Ally. Location is Unknown. **INTERMEDIATE POTENTIAL.**



**Allegiance.**

  1. **The Obsidian Dynasty of Merxis, the Insignificant,** The brotherhood is a close unit, their moral foundation, code, and constant training makes them one of the best groups to serve as a backup. **HIGH POTENTIAL.**



**Unknown.**

  1. **The Mice Trap Prisoners,** They are weakened, but there are many of them. It is uncertain if they will follow the command of Tazziros' Heir. Status Unknown. **INTERMEDIATE POTENTIAL.**
  2. **Sanctum's Guardian Quartet,** The four of them are a balanced team and have formed an affinity with The Wizard. It is uncertain if they would get out of their Forest and help. **LOW POTENTIAL.**



**Deities.**

  1. **Xylsis, Goddess of ~~Games~~ and Retribution,** She is on our side and has lead previous groups to victory. The extent of her Divine Intervention is Unknown. Further information is needed. **HIGH POTENTIAL.**
  2. **Un'jah, God of Satire, Clairvoyance, Healers, and Sleight of Hand,** The extent of his Divine Intervention is Unknown. His mission aligns with our most important member. His Clairvoyance may be useful. **UNKNOWN POTENTIAL.**



**HIGH POTENTIAL.** Their skills are known and useful against our foes. Their help is guaranteed.

 **INTERMEDIATE POTENTIAL.** Their skills haven't been honed for battle or their help can be uncertain.

 **LOW POTENTIAL.** Their help is uncertain or their allegiance is with another.

 **UNKNOWN POTENTIAL.** The extent of their skills is unknown.

* * *

"your bro doesn't have the f. in his name?" Why of all the questions the overgrown cigarette had to make, that had to be the one.

"oh, yes, he has it" don't you speak any further.

"WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CURIOUS ABOUT IT! DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS THE MEANING OF IT?" If The Wizard speaks, the last thing he will do is a permanent disappearing act and I will be his assistant.

"heheh," he is gonna tell them "it's a family secret" he winks and looks at me for a second.

"WHAT? SANS! WE ARE THE SAME PERSON FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE, WE ARE ALMOST FAMILY AND THERE ARE NO SECRETS IN FAMILIES."

"wanna know your full name?" 

"I HAVE MORE NAMES? I THOUGHT I WAS ONLY SANS SERIF."

"oh no, our name is longer than that. you may not remember all of it" he looks to one side "most monsters don't even know us skeleton monsters have last names."

"is it gaster? edgelord mentioned it before" It seems like everyone got distracted. 

"yes, our last name is gaster" he has a big smile "but do you know what the c. of a sans stand for?"

"Can we get a clue? I wanna try to solve it too." Does she have an interest in riddles... maybe puzzles?

"yup," the mischief in his face is clear as day "it describes a sans perfectly."

"calcic" Seriously?

"funny but no"

"CLEVER!" Not you at least.

"true but not even close"

"Cryptic?" I agree, but it is not.

"pixie, you hurt me" he winks "you all can see right through me."

"DON'T START WITH THE PUNS, YOU INSUFFERABLE COMIC ARRAY OF SKULDUGGERY!"

"Pfffft" she goes into a burst of full ~~angelic~~ laughter and is soon followed by all the others, their laughter was unpleasant.

"I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING FUNNY FOR YOU ALL TO-" I freeze, just noticing what I said.

"You," she puts a hand over the place my scapula is and starts trying to compose herself, "I didn't know you were this hilarious" she breathes in "You are a natural, Edge, and you don't even try." She smiles sheepishly "I thought you were mean with all the insults you use, but knowing you, you probably don't mean them that way." Now she smiles brightly at me, too bright "Your insults are colorful."

"i would call them savage" The Bard pulls out a cigarette "best comebacks 2020 10/10"

"I DON'T APPROVE OF HIS INSULTS, BUT IF MY, I MEAN, OUR DEAR MAIDEN, SAYS HE DOESN'T MEAN TO INSULT US, THEN I WILL LET IT PASS THIS TIME." The Cleric looks at me "BUT IF I THINK YOU ARE MEAN, YOU WILL HAVE TO SEAT THROUGH ONE OF MY MAGNIFICENT SPEECHES."

"I'M THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE! I DO MEAN MY INSULTS."

"sure, pyrus, whatever you say" What did he call me? "in any case, congratulations you guessed it right"

A collective sound of confusion escaped us all.

"my name is comic sans serif gaster."

The howling waves of laughter that followed didn't stop in a long time. Nor did her firm but gentle touch on my back.

* * *

**Merxis 20th, Year 324 A.11.**

**Entry Number 105:**

The following entry is not meant to be shared with the others. This is strictly personal but unlike Entry Number 17, this will be shared with my brother once I find him. 

This may be the longest set of notes, after Entry Number 17. 

Constant updates are essential.

**Name:** Me, The Great and Terrible Edge, Captain of The Royal Guard, Paladin of Vengeance, Champion of Xylsis and Merxis' Pixie Maiden. Papyrus Elsner F. Gaster.

 **Age:** 125 Monster years old, 25 human years old.

 **Homeland:** Ebott.

 **Timeline:** Violent Timeline. KILL or BE KILLED rule.

 **Height:** ~~190~~ 197 cms.

 **Weight:** The prime one expected of a Skeleton Monster.

 **Fighting Style:** I prefer melee ranged attacks. I have a longsword ordered specially for myself by Sir Eggath. I'm the best fighter in the Underground. I received swordsmanship training from Sir Eggath. My Holy Symbol is present in my pauldron.

 **Skills:** Bone attacks. I can Channel Xylsis to grant me stronger attacks. I can cure minor wounds. (Sans, if you are reading this, you have to show me how to summon Gaster Blasters. They may be useful.)

 **Weaknesses:** I don't have any weaknesses. 

**Notes:** The journey won't end for me or Sans until we have returned The Pixie Maiden home.

**Name:** Pocket Comedian (Comic Sans Serif Gaster)

 **Age:** 129 Monster years old, 29 human years.

 **Homeland:** Ebott.

 **Timeline:** Pacific Timeline. He comes from an Underground free of the KILL or BE KILLED rule.

 **Height:** His slouching position makes it hard to tell. It must be around 160-165 cms.

 **Weight:** Unknown. I won't ask or I may receive an unpleasant answer.

 **Fighting Style:** Magic, ranged attacks. He became a Lore Mastery Wizard. He uses a book as an arcane focus.

 **Skills:** Bone attacks. Teleportation. Further information on his Spells is needed. His status as Judge has not been confirmed. The use of Gaster Blasters is unknown.

 **Weaknesses:** He is constantly falling asleep, even more than my brother does. 

**Notes:** Keeping an eye on his HoPe is necessary. He makes sure to look at his pocket watch every day at least twice. Further information is necessary.

**Name:** Blue Berry, Blueberry, Blue Pest, Blue Bungler (Sans Serif)

 **Age:** 131 Monster years old, 31 human years.

 **Homeland:** Ebott.

 **Timeline:** Pacific Timeline. He comes from an Underground free of the KILL or BE KILLED rule.

 **Height:** 168 cms. He is less tall than my brother.

 **Weight:** Unknown. I run the same risk asking this one as I do with the other one.

 **Fighting Style:** Melee ranged, he is carrying a war-hammer. He received Royal Guard Training. He became a Cleric, didn't specify the Domain. His Holy Symbol is the locket he is wearing.

 **Skills:** Bone attacks. Teleportation. Further information on his Spells is needed. The use of Gaster Blasters is unknown. 

**Weaknesses:** He seems gullible. He is probably too soft to hurt anyone. 

**Notes:** He carries a magic waterskin that turns any liquid into spring water. He keeps calling it baggy for some reason. Ask when he and his brother will leave.

**Name:** Stretch, Overgrown Cigarette, Demolished Chimney, Lethargic Ashtray, Lethargic Numbskull, Lethargic Skeleton, Decalcified Bundle of Bones, Lethargic Ashtray Bound Buffoon, Dolt Ashtray, Stretched Egg, (Papyrus E. F.)

 **Age:** 122 Monster years old, 22 human years old.

 **Homeland:** Ebott.

 **Timeline:** Pacific Timeline. Underground free of the KILL or BE KILLED rule.

 **Height:** NOT NECESSARY. His slouched posture messes with the measurement process.

 **Weight:** Light enough not to crush the Tiny Pixie whenever he gets carried by her!

 **Fighting Style:** Probably ranged. He became a College of Lore Bard. His arcane focus is his ukulele. I haven't seen any weapons on him.

 **Skills:** Bone attacks. Further information on his Spells is needed. The use of Gaster Blasters is unknown. 

**Weaknesses:** He seems unrestful. His tendency to daydreaming may make him a target. 

**Notes:** He keeps antagonizing me.

* * *

I was updating Entry Number 17 when the last person I wanted to see it, woke up.

"Edge?" she is rubbing her eyes a bit.

"YOU SHOULD BE SLEEPING, YOUR WATCH ALREADY FINISHED." Her rest is essential.

"I know, it is just that I forgot to ask something earlier." I sigh.

"ASK FAST AND GO BACK TO SLEEP THEN."

"You said I had to make it up to you for doubting you, and I was serious about making it up to you" Oh, she remembered, "I didn't ask yesterday, so I'll ask now." She turns on her bedroll to look at me. "What do you want?"

"YOU."

"Eh?"

"I WANT YOU TO COOK LASAGNE WITH ME." 

"Lasagne? Why lasagne?"

"IT IS MY FAVORITE DISH AND I HAVEN'T EATEN IT SINCE I ARRIVED."

"Oh." Oh? That's all she has to say? "You should have told me earlier! I love Italian food, lasagne, spaghetti, you name it! I could have cooked a lasagne when we were back at home." 

"NO, YOU HAVE TO COOK WITH ME, I AM A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH CULINARY STANDARDS AND YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO KEEP THEM." I didn't know she knew how to cook lasagne.

"You'll see when we go back home, I will cook the best lasagne your brother and you have tasted. And you can cook one too, then we will have my parents decide who cooks the best lasagne" Home, huh?

"FINE, DON'T CRY LIKE A WIMP ONCE I'M CHOSEN AS THE ULTIMATE LASAGNE CHEF."

"Yeah, yeah." She closes her eyes. "I will go back to sleep and dream of how I win and you'll just want to keep eating my lasagne for the rest of your life."

"IN YOUR DREAMS, PIXIE WIMP."

"Good Night, Edge."

...

I wait a few moments until her breathing is calm once more and open my journal again.

I have to update Entry Number 17 again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE LORE IN DnD!
> 
> It is so interesting to find out details about the story.
> 
> My DnD group isn't that interested in the lore, so I usually sneak out during the nights with my character to find out more things. I have like 20 pages written of that campaign, both sides with drawings and stuff. What makes me sad is that if something happens to my character is that I will have to act as if I have no idea about anything, so I keep my bard safe.
> 
> So yeah, show some love for your DM and try to find out about that sweet lore they prepared uwu
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter with the small summaries to keep track of things, now, don't worry about memorizing the calendar, because from now on I will give you exact dates for some stuff, so you won't need to calculate it :v
> 
> Laterz~
> 
> PS. Yup, Grillby's last name is Estus. I had no idea what to name him so I thought of naming him after a flaming drink like feuerzangenbowle, but then I went all "Yo, make a Dark Souls reference."


	10. It's All Part of the Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is Merxis 28th, that makes two weeks since Blueberry joined the party.
> 
> It has been 10 days since Edge talked about possible threats and you can't help but worry.
> 
> Since Blueberry and Stretch found each other, would they be okay traveling on their own to find their way home?
> 
> There is no reason for them to keep traveling with you after all, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I hope you all are okay and taking care of yourselves and your family. Remember to keep in contact with your loved ones during this crazy time. Making a strong emotional support network is important. 
> 
> I've been so tired this week!
> 
> I had a REALLY intense DnD session that resulted in a fight with a red dragon, ogres, demon lieutenants, a failed Lich with 9th level spells, soldiers, giants, cultists... It was BIG!  
> Almost everyone survived in the party, except for the dog. He will always be remembered as a badass.  
> At least the raccoon survived.
> 
> And two days ago, it was my mom's birthday, so I had to bake a cake and some pizza rolls. I'm glad that we got to spend it together as a family and managed to surprise her! It was such a hard task!
> 
> Anyways, I hope you like the chapter. The title was inspired by Mick Gordon's song "It's All Part of the Plan" from the DOOM Eternal OST.

Finally!

After almost two weeks, of traveling out in the open, your group reaches a coppice. The mountains that once stood on the horizon are now closer than ever. Apart from you, Edge seemed content with the change of scenery, but it was for different reasons. For you, foraging would be an easier task.

For Edge, this meant an advantage for his plan of attack.

You remembered what Edge said about threats. About how the others didn't _get rid of them_ and about how _elimination was highly advised_. You didn't agree with unnecessary violence. You were a believer that things could be dealt with dialoguing.

But you were aware that some people wouldn't listen. That some people were rotten to the core. 

You would fight if necessary, but you weren't going to kill anyone. 

"-DEN?"

You weren't going to turn your dream into bloodshed. And you wouldn't let your teammates stain their hands with blood. 

"Y/N!" you stopped before colliding with the bandana-wearing skeleton. Blue's bone brows were furrowed in concern. "ARE YOU OKAY, MAIDEN? WE TRIED TALKING TO YOU, BUT YOU JUST KEPT WALKING FORWARD."

"Eh?" You look back and can see Sans and Stretch under each of Edge's arms. "Why are you carrying them?"

"THEY WERE TOO SLOW TO KEEP UP WITH YOU" he replies at the same time as he drops them.

"Sorry, I just got too immersed in my thoughts" you look around, "nothing to worry about."

"sure," said the skeleton bard squinting his sockets slightly.

"Yup." you pop the _p_ as clear and loud as you can "Anyways! We have to keep going and find a place to rest."

"UH, MAIDEN?"

"Yes, Blue? What is it?" 

"ARE YOU SURE THIS IS THE RIGHT PATH TO THE GOLDEN PENINSULA?" you look at him not expecting that question.

"Yes, I'm sure. We didn't make any wrong turns and we've been walking on a straight line since we left the Dynasty." You start paying closer attention to the terrain you are in "the soil changed too, this is the kind of soil that is near mountains and the only mountains there are in Abristan are the ones back home and the ones at the West of the Peninsula." You were sure that reaching the Buoyant Ball Mountains would be no problem, and that if you kept walking around them, you would arrive at Merry's.

Apart from Sans, the rest of your companions didn't know that.

"how can you tell without a map?" the wizard asked. You couldn't tell if he was curious or if it was a set up for telling puns.

"Because it is a straight path from home," you start walking again, hoping that they will follow "My parents used to travel without a map, they thought it would be good for me to do so too."

They started following you again. You would've expected Edge to be one to question your navigation skills, but he didn't make any comments.

If that was a good or bad signal, you couldn't tell, but it was nice, you were worrying about more than one thing and didn't feel in the mood to talk.

Apart from the possible threats, you worried about when would Stretch and Blue leave. They had no reason to travel with you anymore and you couldn't help wonder if Stretch would be in danger. You have been traveling together for months, and honestly, he was the skeleton you trusted the most. Looking at the two siblings, interact the past two weeks was endearing. 

Blue would keep an eye on the path and talk about everything and anything, shifting from one side to the other to make his brother move so that he didn't trip or ended colliding against something. You couldn't help but think of a dog herding sheep. You knew the youngest was aware of his surroundings, but he didn't seem to mind his brother's attention. 

You noticed there were some changes in the bard's behavior. He let himself daydream more frequently, he looked more relaxed. Unless Blue was interacting with someone else. Wherever Blue was, Stretch was there. In fact, his presence was what made your times reading Edge's notes to Blue become a group thing. The three of you would be sitting, checking the notes and he would just arrive and drop himself over you two, making the grumpier Papyrus pull the lazier one up.

He probably wanted his brother's attention.

That was sweet.

Yeah, you will miss them once they go their own way.

...

The whole group ate dinner and you were getting ready for your usual "Strategic Meeting" but this time, no skeleton sat by your side. Instead, Sans stood up on your left and Edge on your right side, the three of you facing the siblings. 

"IF WE HAVE NO TROUBLE, IN ABOUT A MONTH WE WILL BE ARRIVING AT THE GOLDEN PENINSULA" the firm voice came out lower than other times, "AND WE WILL TRAVEL TO OTHEIN IMMEDIATELY. WE WILL LEAVE ABRISTAN BEHIND FOR A LONG TIME, AND WE WILL BE FAR ENOUGH TO GET OUT OF THE RADAR OF THE MANY ENEMIES WE HAVE."

The bard had his eyes closed, he probably started daydreaming again.

"AND IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE CAN KNOW HOW WE WILL PROCEED IN THE NEXT CONTINENT, PLANNING IS ESSENTIAL AND I NEED TO KNOW ALL THE VARIABLES TO MAKE A PROPER BATTLE PLAN," you noticed his gaze kept turning from them to you "THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT ARE OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE AND CRUCIAL FOR OUR TRAVEL" he sounded so sure, but you could feel something off, you couldn't point what "IF WE WANT TO SUCCEED IT IS INDISPENSABL-"

"what edge wants to ask is-" the sudden voice on your left surprises you.

"DON'T INTERRUPT ME, SANS!" but even after that, the blue hooded skeleton keeps going.

"-if you are going to keep traveling with us or find a way back home?"

Oh. So that's what they wanted to talk about.

"nyeheh" "MWEHEHEH" the brothers started laughing, apparently, from something only both of them knew.

"WOULD YOU TWO BUNGLERS STOP WITH YOUR FOOLISH CACKLING AND JUST ANSWER ALREADY?!" honestly, you wanted to know the answer too. The question had been in your head for weeks.

"SORRY, LITTLE NOT BROTHER! BUT WE-" Blue points to Stretch who was still wheezing "THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY OBVIOUS BY NOW."

"well, it is for me at least," Sans says, closing his sockets and putting a hand over your head "but out pixie here doesn't."

"What?" was this because of you? "What do you mean I don't know? Wait," squinting your eyes hoping your gaze is intense enough for Sans to sense it you ask "have you been CHECKing my SOUL?"

"do you want me to tell the tooth or what you wanna hear?" he opened one of his sockets and beamed at you.

"Don't you dare pun your way out of this!" you forgot monsterkind could do that. Did your soul said anything else? What did it even say? Just thinking about it makes you feel embarrassed. How long have they known about your worries? And, sweet Merxis! You told them you were okay, but you had been worrying instead of asking. 

Saying your face flushed was an understatement. That he started patting your head didn't make it any better.

"YOU CHECKED HER SOUL?! WHEN DID YOU HAVE AN ENCOUNTER?!" Encounter?

"uh... you know how" the wizard's hand stopped patting you.

"NO, I DON'T, THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING!" now the Cleric was standing, both hands on his pelvis. He reminded you of your mom in that position.

"there was no encounter so don't worry" 

"DON'T WORRY?" he frowned "OF COURSE, I DO! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE MAIDEN'S PRIVACY! YOU CAN'T JUST PULL OUT HER SOUL TO SEE HOW SHE IS FEELING."

"don't be so sternum about it, blue" he sighs, his hand sliding to the back of your head, playing with your (h/c) locks. "and no, there was no encounter and i didn't check her soul, the paladin kid noticed." 

"THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE FOR YOU, POCKET BUFFOON!"

"yeah, yeah" he shrugged "you can tell he did a good job at keeping an eye socket on her just by the reaction she had."

"..." you chose to hide your face behind your hands, this was double embarrassing. Sans didn't know by CHECKing, he knew because Edge told him. Which meant you were evident enough about it. Were you that easy to read?

"honey?" the soft voice of your friend asked.

"What is it, Princess?" it was his fault your face turned crimson by now, maybe by using the nickname you wouldn't be the only one embarrassed.

"we will keep traveling together" instantly, you put your hands away.

"Are you... is that true?" a confirmation nod and the relaxing grin you have seen every day for months is your answer.

"can't leave my honey prince alone, right?" he opened his arms invitingly.

And of course, you ran to take the offer. His boney but warm arms pulling you in a comfortable embrace. You could feel the others murmuring but at the moment you didn't care.

"did you really think we would leave?"

Separating from him, you looked at his face "Yes," he frowned at your fast reply "I mean... your brother found you, so, I thought that, you know, you didn't have a reason to stay. And looking for a way back will take time so, I assumed you would get right into that."

The sound of someone clearing a throat came from your right, the oldest skeleton looked lifted his bone brow at you "MAIDEN, THERE IS NO WAY WE WOULD LEAVE OUR FRIENDS WHEN THEY ARE IN DISTRESS!" he posed heroically and grabbed one of your hands "WE STILL HAVE TO FIND THEIR FAMILIES AND THE MORE SKELETONS LOOKING, THE BETTER!" he held your hand with both of his "AND I WOULDN'T LIKE FOR US TO GO WHEN WE JUST MET. PAPY- I MEAN, STRETCH HAS KNOWN YOU FAR LONGER THAN ANY OF US AND I WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND AS WELL."

The lighthearted comment just warmed up your heart, and you couldn't help but return the smile Blue was giving you. You failed to notice the arms around you holding you a bit closer.

You pulled your hand away from Blue and invited him into the hug too "I already consider you a friend, Blue."

Before, if someone told you that hugs from skeletons were uncomfortable, you may have been inclined to agree. Now, you could actually prove the opposite. Blue held both you and Stretch in his arms, while the latter just kept his arms around you. He didn't get to pull away before to hug his brother too.

"OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH" You felt Blue getting pulled away and Edge's arm snaking around your waist, pulling you off the ground. Stretch didn't release you tho "LISTEN, DEFECTIVE CHIMNEY, I GIVE YOU TEN."

"hmmm? ten what"

"NINE"

"nope."

"EIGHT"

"Come on Edge, it is fine"

"... THREE"

"you skipped four numbers."

And Edge started walking, the bard let go of you to avoid getting pulled around. You just let yourself be carried to the place you were sitting before. 

"Hey, Edge?"

"WHAT?" 

"Thank you, if you didn't notice I would've ended worrying more without saying a thing."

"THIS JUST PROVES WHY SIR EGGATH AND DAME MANTHE DIDN'T WANT YOU TO GO ALONE" his grin looked smug "AND OF COURSE, I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE, WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT MET THE QUALIFICATIONS TO DEAL WITH YOUR STUBBORNNESS AND WIMPINESS." 

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say" you look up to the sky "It looks like it will be time to start my watch soon, so get ready to sleep."

"cool, i knee-d to sleep for a couple of hours"

"SANS!"

You felt way lighter than when the day started.

* * *

"achoo!" it was the third time Sans sneezed.

"Are you okay?" You were worried.

"uh, yea'" he rubs his nasal bone with his sleeve. 

"SANS, USE A HANDKERCHIEF!" demanded his energetic counterpart.

"somethin' got over my nasal bone, that's all"

"WHAT IF YOU GOT SICK?"

"i can take care of myself, don't worry"

"you better let my bro check that, sans"

"Stretch is right, I don't know how to tell when a magical monster skeleton is sick." At least you had the others to explain in case anything happened.

If Sans cooperated, it would be better for everyone. But no, he kept moving whenever someone tried to see if he was okay. That he was able to avoid everyone's attempts to approach had to be a good signal, right?

The sound of rustling leaves caught your attention. You looked over a tree and noticed a squirrel looking at all of you with its big round eyes. You let the skeletons keep trying to catch Sans.

"Hello, little critter, how are you?" the adorable creature started descending the tree, stopping right in front of your face and making some firm chirping noises.

"Oh no, no, they" you point to your teammates "are with me, don't worry we won't harm any house." 

More chirping noises followed, the squirrel's gaze looking from you to the tree.

"You want me to climb up?" the squirrel climbed up a bit and then turned to look if you were following.

"Okay, okay, I'll go up."

You take off your backpack, just to make climbing more comfortable. The trunk was too wide for you to get your legs around and the branches too high. Luckily, you had the wire you used to save Sans from the river with you. You put it around the tree and start ascending. You forgot to take your crossbow off, and it kept balancing back and forth. It wasn't uncomfortable, just a bit distracting.

Once you reached the first branch, you noticed you were at least 4 or 5 meters off the ground. The Papyri towered over the Sanses and from the tree, it looked even funnier. You kept climbing, the view was incredible, the squirrel kept squeaking and chirping. Not happily. You paid attention to the small rodent and noticed that it looked distressed. 

"What is it, little buddy?" when your animal buddy looked down and started making fast ticking noises, you understood.

There was a group approaching yours and you felt yourself getting pale. Two of them were wearing the armor of Tazziro's guards, both holding lances. The figure in front of them had their sword out. You focused, in their direction and could tell that at least one more was getting closer. You couldn't see them.

You needed to warn your team, but if you shouted, you would reveal the position of the skeletons. Your only option was to climb down and get their attention before they were in the other group's range.

You started descending, the wire was now around the branch you were sitting, it was long enough to get you back on the first branch.

"THERE YOU ARE, MAIDEN!" Blue's booming voice startled you making you lose your footing a bit making the oldest skeleton scream a bit. If you weren't holding the wire strongly enough, you would've fallen and it would've taken you days to heal.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?!" Edge's demanding and loud voice was the one that brought you back to the problem at hand.

"Guys, there is a-" the movement of leaves behind the high heeled skeleton got your attention, and without hesitation, you aimed at the source with your crossbow shooting a bolt. 

The scream that came afterward was followed by a series of curses, drops of blood fell on the ground. Your teammates just stared in silence.

"3 more enemies are approaching!"

And just as you said that they appeared right in front of your friends. The best course of action would be to stay n the branch and attack from there. But you needed to get to a ground level. You needed to stop your friends from killing anyone.

Blue was the first to react, he moved back and you saw how a double of himself appeared behind the enemies from the shadows, both smiled at each other, and the second Blueberry hid behind a tree.

You see the tallest skeletons move, a thick mist appeared around the paladin, and with his sword held high, shining above, he appeared in front of the guards and the swordsman slashing down. The swordsman held his sword up to protect himself, but the angle was wrong, making Edge's slide over it instead of stopping it, making a deep cut over his shoulder. He held his scream back, jaw clenching. You couldn't see from the place you were, but the intimidating grin that crossed Edge's face when he gave a little push to the human making his face go at least two tones paler. The sword didn't stop, Edge skillfully twirled the blade and used it to attack one of the guards with a fierce thrust. The sword went through the exposed space on his armpit. 

Simultaneously to the moves of the Paladin, Stretch held his ukulele close and played a tune that Sans seemed to approve with the way he moved his head. While playing, he started moving his mouth. You couldn't hear what he said, but noticed how it made the other guard starts walking away, shaking his head and covering his ears desperately, screaming for the horrible sound to stop.

You see the swordsman holding his sword tightly before attacking Edge. 

"nuh-uh" the bard says and it is enough to distract the human from attacking.

You saw Sans walk right in the middle point between the guards, the swordsman and the bleeding invisible creature. And he opened his book. 

"hey guys, i bet none of you are better than i am at sleeping" you felt a light wave of something "i can do it with my eyes... closed." 

And you see the wizard, the guard, the swordsman and hear the invisible foe fall to the ground. A collective snore resounding.

"What the-?" You get down and find Sans laying with his face down and his quantum physics book open.

"HALT," the other Blueberry says, and the last guard just freezes and the clone disappears the same way it appeared. The real one moved and grabbed the invisible figure and started dragging them towards the other two sleeping figures were.

The Paladin just moved and grabbed the two enemies on the ground, and walked to pull a rope out of his backpack. Stretch did the same, taking the guard under his arm and walked where his team was sleeping. A handkerchief was used as a gag for the tabaxi that was awake.

You saw the skeletons search through their clothes, take off their armors and finally tie them up. You checked on the wounds they had and decided to stop the bleeding with some witch-hazel solution you kept.

"WHY ARE YOU TREATING THEM?" Edge asked, in a low voice.

"Why didn't you kill them as you said?" He stood there and went back to inspecting the things they took away from them.

"KILLING WEAKLINGS BRINGS NO SATISFACTION TO MY SWORD OR XYLSIS."

You just smiled to yourself. He may not show it, but he was a nice skeleton. You didn't have a reason to be worried about him harming others. He was aggressive, but there was kindness under that armor.

This time you were lucky. You just hoped that you wouldn't find yourselves in a position where killing seemed like the only solution.

Standing up, you put on your backpack again and pulled Sans into your arms.

"We better leave before they wake up, or the other takes off the gag." A muffled voice started protesting when you started to walk away.

That's when the squirrel that alerted you from the enemies appeared. You just looked into each other's eyes.

You pointed to the ground "Can your friends hide our tracks?" A small nod was all you received in exchange.

"YOU CAN TALK TO ANIMALS, MAIDEN?" Blue was walking by your side, Sans things on his arms.

"Huh? No. I just understand them. You know... I read their expressions and they read mine." you giggled "Nah, talking to animals would be silly."

"OH..."

"I prefer speaking with plants." 

"WHAT?"

You just kept walking, the three skeletons following you. Different critters walking around, behind you hiding your footsteps.

* * *

Sans was pulled off your arms by Edge eventually.

The dark clouds that covered the sky were a bad signal.

That Sans was still sleeping, and now with what Blue called a "magic cold." He was supposed to wake up a time after the spell ended, but currently, it was the time before sunset. You needed to find shelter. Autumn in the Northern side of Abristan was popular by its storms. The surroundings of the Buoyant Ball Mountains were known especially by their ball lightning phenomenon. Your dad said that it could help or doom your travel near the mountains. During his youth, it blinded him and made him lose his footing while walking over the mountain. If it wasn't because your mother was there, he would've fallen down the mountain.

You would need to find shelter, and maybe the mountains had a cave where you could pass the time until the storm passed. 

"Guys, we will need to make a run towards the mountain." The natural light was almost gone, soon you wouldn't be able to see a thing. "Do any of you have a torch or anything to help us see in the dark?"

"MONSTERKIND CAN SEE PERFECTLY IN THE DARK, LIGHTS ARE NOT NECESSARY FOR US" Great, they had darkvision. Just like tieflings. Cool for them bad for you.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY, MAIDEN! I, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUEBERRY, WILL HOLD YOUR HAND SO THAT YOU DON'T GET LOST."

"or i can do this" Stretch approached you and poked your waist, making you squeak the start of a giggle.

"Don't do that!" You weren't mad, just ticklish, but you didn't want him to use it against you.

"nyeheheh" there was a white-gree-ish light over the skeleton "i should call you my prince in shining tunic now." What?

You looked down to your tunic, and effectively. it was shining brightly. You were the source of the light!

"This is so cool! I didn't know you could do that!" You started turning around admiring your bright clothes.

"it lasts an hour, so we should probably start moving."

You cleared your throat "Uh, yes. We uh..." In the Insignificant's name, you were always surprised and so enthusiastic by what magic could do "We should keep going, fast. We don't want the storm to catch us out here in the open."

"WHAT'S A STORM?" "WHAT IS THAT?" "i heard of them but have never seen one"

Wait... 

"You have never been in a storm?!"

They had never seen a storm, and now they would live their first one, probably in a dark cave, in a place infamous by its powerful thunderstorms.

Great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader: I don't like violence  
> Reader seeing the skelebros in danger: *loads hand crossbow* Peace was never an option  
> Skeletons: *stare at her shocked*
> 
> This was written based on an actual DnD session I made with the setting I had. 
> 
> I actually sat down, pulled out the character sheets, got my dice and said "Okay... Let's begin."  
> I would share the builds but... Nope, they hold spoilers!
> 
> The party almost got ambushed during the night during someone's watch, but I will leave as a secret who or what saved them from that. Just wanna leave some trying to guess :v
> 
> See you in a new chapter, very soon!
> 
> Laterz~


	11. Bein' Friends (Buoyant Ball Mountains: Part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party reaches a shelter, a cave. Safe from the rain, safe from the storm.
> 
> At least at the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like I uploaded this fic ages ago. But then I was counting... And it has been only 22 days.
> 
> It probably feels longer since I sort of prepared lots of things for it.
> 
> Anyways!
> 
> This chapter was inspired by the song Bein' Friends from the Mother OST Vocal Album, with music by Keiichi Suzuki and Lyrics by Linda Hennrick. Please check it out and give the Mother Series a try if you haven't played the games.
> 
> They are *chef kiss* delightful.

The clinking sound of armors, the heavy and fast steps and the loud howling of the wind were the only sounds around you. The sunset was hours ago, and you could already smell the rain.

Your shining tunic was the only source of light around. Finding shelter before the rain started was all you prayed for in your heart.

Sadly, unlike the energetic skeletons of your group, you didn't have a connection to any deity.

You felt that first drop of rain in your face, and all you could think of was how bad it was going to get with the strong wind. Still, you needed to stop for some essential things

"Edge, pull Sans' hood up!" you couldn't hear your voice, but when you saw the paladin following your orders, you continued "Blue, cover the wood as best as you can! Stretch, I need you to stay close and make my cape shine now. Close your backpacks as tight as possible, we will run and won't stop any time soon, get ready for your clothes to be soaked!".

As soon as you confirmed they were done following your instructions, you started running. You couldn't hear if they were following you, but you trusted in their skills.

The raindrops started falling even more frequently, you pulled your hood up, the white light that emitted from your cape was comforting. It was a shame you couldn't stop to admire how the rain around you reflected the light and fell in the ground like it was made of diamonds.

Your clothes felt heavier by the second. You were sure your bedroll would be too wet for you to sleep in it. You were losing your ability to see with all the rain, and the chance of Sans getting even sicker was something you couldn't risk anymore.

With a movement of your hand and words in a language, only a handful knew, you asked for help. You needed a suitable shelter now.

The sound of the wind and the water was interrupted by a voice in your ears, one calling you to change course. You didn't recognize the voice, not this one, but you knew that following its command would save you. You made an abrupt turn to the right, the disembodied voice guiding your every step. The wind changing its course only at the height of your face, the rain was no longer falling over your eyes. The rest of your body still got the rain on it.

The sound of rapids made you doubt for a second, but the voices never failed you before, you pushed through the storm and made a run for it.

" _Turn left, Pixie Maiden._ "

You obeyed. What you would have called a dainty looking stone bridge during the daytime looked far from it at the moment. The water flowed over it for a second, and the next one it kept going under the bridge. You didn't have time to find if there was a pattern.

Taking your trusty wire, you stopped in front of the bridge.

"Hold on tight!" You screamed at your friends that were still around, looking as soaked as you. You got the wire around both of your arms and waited for the skeletons to do the same. Edge was the only one to hold with one arm, the other was around Sans holding him as tight as possible.

You started walking towards the bridge, you felt the skeletons pulling on the wire in protest, but the shelter you needed was right across the river. You pulled firmly and stepped on the bridge, you felt the water getting in your boots, but you were standing firm. If you didn't fall, none of your teammates would.

You felt Stretch falling, the water moved his body, but the combined efforts of the party managed to get him back on his feet. Carefully, without slipping anymore everyone managed to cross the bridge.

" _Straight forward, Pixie._ "

" _Thank you._ " You replied in the same language as before.

Sprinting, you pulled on everyone and finally managed to see the entrance of a cave at the foot of the mountain.

You were safe.

* * *

The cave was deep, you couldn't see the end of it even with the light of the campfire. What you could see was the entrance, the gale made its way inside the cave, but from the place you were in, it couldn't turn off the fire.

Searching through your things, you were happy to find that everything but your bedroll was dry. Everything included your change of clothes, your pillow, and your blanket.

The fate of every bedroll was the same.

But unlike you, most of your companions didn't have the same luck as you.

Stretch kept his blanket and bedroll out of his backpack. And you were sure he didn't have a change of clothes. At least, he had a towel.

Sans' had a change of clothes inside his backpack. You were surprised to see they were clothes from your world. How nostalgic. He kept his blanket the same way as Stretch.

Edge had his blanket and a change of clothes, not the warmest for the time. Black leather pants and a black sleeveless shirt. Not suitable for the weather.

Blue didn't have another change of clothes, he just had his blanket.

"So, how are we gonna arrange things? We only have three blankets, There's two of us with no change of clothes and Sans is sick."

"WELL, SANS SHOULD GET ONE, HE IS SICK AND WE WANT HIM TO RECOVER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE" the cleric approached Sans "I'LL BE OKAY WITH ANY DECISIONS YOU MAKE MAIDEN, FOR NOW, I WILL CHANGE SANS' CLOTHES BEFORE HE GETS EVEN WORSE" he turned around "PAPY, I NEED YOUR TOWEL. WE CAN DRY IT OFF NEAR THE FIRE."

"Okay, we can let Blue do that... We need our bedrolls to dry so, let's do that."

"what about the other two blankets?"

"Sans can keep my blanket and pillow, Blue and you can keep the other two since you don't have any dry clothes," you look at Edge and smile proudly "We can handle a night without blankets, right?"

"I CAN DEAL WITH IT, BUT WHY WOULD I GIVE ONE OF THEM MY BLANKET? IT IS THEIR FAULT FOR NOT PREPARING PROPERLY."

"What? Afraid you might lose against the human in a battle of endurance against the cold?"

"THE ONLY ONE AFRAID OF LOSING HERE IS YOU, TINY PIXIE."

"Oh ya? Let's see who wins, Edgey" you grab your clothes and look for a place to change.

"VERY WELL," he pushes you towards a side of the cave and turns around "YOU HAVE 5 MINUTES TO CHANGE." Was he going to make you change there?!

Looking around, there was no place to hide while you did that.

"TURN AROUND, VULGAR TROUPE OF BONGLERS! IF I CATCH ONE OF YOU TRYING TO PEEK ON HER, I'LL DUST YOU" the menace came out in a low growl. 

"and how will we know you aren't looking?"

"BECAUSE UNLIKE YOU ALL, I AM A GENTLEMONSTER!"

"HEY! I AM A GENTLEMONSTER TOO!"

"honey knows she can trust me not to look" a soft nyeheh follows that sentence "unless she invites me to do so"

"PAPY!"

"THAT'S IT OVERGROWN CIGARETTE! I WI-" you tapped Edge's shoulder, successfully shutting him up.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on them," making your way towards the fire you hanged your wet clothes on the makeshift bone-made clothesline "you can all change if you want."

"WON'T YOU TURN AROUND?" asked Blueberry, his zygomatic bones dusting with a light shade of blue.

"If it makes you all comfortable, sure" you turn around "it wouldn't be the first time I see a skeleton tho."

"GASP! MAIDEN! WHA-? WHEN DID YOU-?" 

"she must be talking about the ones humans use in school, bro" 

"Yup, I'm referring to those" you stopped a bit "Oh! And Sans too."

Any questions they were about to make didn't happen. 

The strepitous sound of thunder made all the skeletons freeze.

The repetition managed to make them yell.

And you felt hands on your shoulders.

"Y/N! WHAT WAS THAT?!" Edge's voice was so high-pitched that for a moment you didn't recognize it.

"It is just thunder, Edge"

Another roar followed your reply, and now you had two arms around you.

Was Edge scared of thunder? You turned around as best as you could on his death grip, and the sight broke your heart. Actual tears were threatening to escape his eyes.

"Oh, sweetie," you pulled him into a hug and started caressing his back "It is just a big mean noise, nothing else."

* _BOOM_ *

Two other screams followed. 

"D-DON'T WORRY, P-PAPY! I, THE MAGNIFICENT" you looked at the siblings, both wearing their blankets as gowns, hugging each other tightly "SANS WILL KEEP YOU SAFE FROM THAT SOUND!" he was shaking, and tears threatened to escape his eyes, but he was still keeping a brave smile on his face while he reassured his brother.

"aren't... y-you scared too?"

"N- NO! OF COURSE NOT! J-JUST COLD, YUP" Blueberry shook his head "I AM PERFECTLY FINE, DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, BROTHER, I WILL PROTECT BOTH OF US FROM THAT THUNDER!"

"Edge, I need to check on them too, come on, let go so that I can stand up and we can walk there."

"N- NO."

"Edge, please? I need to talk to Blue about Sans." You caressed his cheekbones, "it'll be just for a bit, we can check on Stretch and Blue, give Sans his medicine and then cook something, and then you can hug me all you want."

He seemed to consider it for a bit, but the sight of lightning out of the cave made him shake his head.

That was way too close for your taste. You weren't going to voice out that thought.

"Hey, Papyrus?" you whispered so he was the only one to hear "Walk with me, please? We need to help Sans" he nodded.

You helped him up, his bones were rattling. Locking your arm with his, you guided him towards the other skeletons.

"Blue? Stretch?" the bard pulled you into the hug, and hid his face on your stomach. The cleric pulled both you and Edge in the hug making the latter stiffen up.

"DON'T WORRY, MAIDEN AND N-NOT LITTLE BROTHER! I WILL PROTECT US!" 

"I know, Blue" you kissed the top of his skull "but you have to let me protect you back, okay?"

He nodded.

"I need you to help me now"

"OF COURSE!"

Lightning struck once more out of the cave. Causing both Papyri to let out a small shriek and Blue to flinch noticeably, his gaze fixed outside.

"Blue, look at me" speaking softly seemed to work with all the skeletons "How do I treat Sans magic sickness?"

"UH... IT'S A MAGIC COLD, IT WORKS LIKE A HUMAN COLD" his eyes kept looking out "YOU JUST HAVE TO INFUSE THE MEDICINE AND FOOD WITH MAGIC AND IT'LL E-END WITH TIME."

"Okay," you tried to walk away, but the three skeletons were holding you tight "Hey, Blue?"

"YES, MAIDEN?" 

"Can you keep an eye socket on Edge?"

"I, SURE, BUT WILL HE-"

"Hey, Edge? Papyrus? Why don't you sit here with Blue and Stretch?" He just pulled you closer "I can get things done faster." He shook his head "Do you want to come to check on Sans with me." A nod.

"Thanks, Blue, but it looks like I have to go with him."

"THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE WILL BE HERE TO HELP IF YOU NEED ME."

You simply nod, the older sibling helping to pull his brother away.

Walking with Edge, you thought about what you could do. There was a way to heal Sans, but revealing what you could do was... dangerous.

You promised your parents not to do it, to just use science, to not mess with Souheth's work.

But Sans wasn't dying. He only had a cold. It wouldn't be messing with the deity's work.

Sans wouldn't know, but Edge would. Or maybe not. The distraction thunder presented was enough to keep their focus in other parts.

You looked up and saw Edge, who had his arms around your shoulders, looking at you, shaking. Vulnerable.

He trusted you when you were guiding them through the coppice. 

He trusted in your skills as an apothecary.

You felt you could trust him. 

You trusted him to keep the secret of what you were going to do if he remembered. You got your hand inside your pocket and got your hand in a pouch. You pulled out an orange blossom from it, its scent was strong and sweet, it reminded you of the medicine you prepared for colds with oranges. You kneeled beside Sans, Edge letting you do so, but keeping his hands on you. Putting one of your hands over Sans' forehead, and the other over the blanket, where his ribs are you focused on the smell of the flower.

For the second time in less than a day, you whispered in that forgotten language. Your hands shone brightly, and you could notice Sans' face getting his usual color back slowly. A good rest and some magic-infused food would get his energies back in no time.

When you got up, the Paladin was looking at you. His bones still rattling and shaking abruptly with every sound the storm made. But there was an understanding of what you just did. You stood up and this time you held his hand, walking back to the campfire. You found out that his scarf was dry. Taking it, you tried to put it back on him as best as you could. Considering you were way smaller than him, you told yourself you did a good job, the rattling of his bones seemed less intense now that he had his scarf. 

It must mean a lot to him.

You decided to start cooking, just a simple mushroom and beef jerky soup with some fresh herbs you had. It would be enough to feed all of you. And for this moment, you were sure it would be the best, it would be comforting.

Cooking with Edge holding you as if you were his teddy bear was less uncomfortable than you thought. As long as you ignored the times he flinched at the sounds of thunder and lightning, or the small yelps that came out, you could cook perfectly fine. 

You were worried about everyone, and since you were the only one that could do things right now. You knew Blue would help if you asked, but he was just as terrified as the others. For now, his little brother was the one that needed that braveness.

It was about an hour later, and none of your companions got used to the sound of the storm. The four of you were sitting in front of the fire, waiting for the soup to be ready. You were sitting in between the Papyri. Blue on the other side of his brother. The lack of talking made you feel uneasy, the sound of their trembling bones and their shaken breathing made it worse. 

At least the soup was ready. You were so focused on that task that you didn't notice the monster sitting next to Edge.

"heh. i haven't used these clothes for a long time" 

"Sans! How are you feeling? Are you okay?" Merxis bless that skeleton.

"yeah, i'm feline fine."

"Pffft, there are no cats around."

"you gotta be kitten me" he smiled "they all turned into scaredy-cats."

"Sans, don't be mean" you start serving the soup "Wait a minute... why aren't you scared of thunderstorms?"

"i've been livin' here a little over a year, i already had my share of storms. and we were up in the surface for a year, i had enough time to adjust."

"You precious humerus skeleton, you don't know the relief I feel at this moment."

"heheh," he noticed how you were struggling to serve the soup"uh, need help with that?" you nodded, the shaking bodies of your friends turned this into a difficult task.

"here you go, blue" with shaking hands he took the bowl of soup from Sans. You noticed he didn't fill it to the top. A smart move considering how much they were shivering.

"THA-THANKS, SANS"

"hey, stretch. what's soup?" the other skeleton just squinted his eyes in betrayal and took his share.

The next one proved to be more challenging. And made Sans even lift a bone brow at the look of Edge.

"Papyrus? You have to eat, okay? The storm will end soon" or at least you hoped so "things will be okay."

"paps? how about you eat and then i read you your favorite story?" it seemed like that did the trick. You helped the Paladin grab his spoon.

You ate fast, it was far too late for this to be dinner, but too early to call it breakfast. It was more like a midnight meal. The moment you finished, you noticed the others were far from over. Maybe you could use this chance to check on the bedrolls.

Of course, Edge stopped you. It was the only reaction you got from him that was fast.

"paps, let pixie get things ready" the grip Edge had on your wrist was starting to turn a bit painful. "she'll prepare your bed, 'kay?" he just looked from Sans to you "you're gonna hurt her wrist, paps."

He released your wrist as fast as he held it. It made you worry, but it looked like Sans could handle the whole situation better than you.

From the five bedrolls, just one didn't dry yet. The clothes, the blankets, and the towel were ready.

You got the four bedrolls together and put them in the ground forming one big bed. The five of you would fit there perfectly, and wouldn't get cold sleeping next to each other. You grabbed the blankets and the pillow. You walked to the siblings and handed them their clothes. You turned towards the cave entrance. The thunderstorm didn't seem like it would stop any time soon. Maybe you would have to be there a day or two more.

You saw the siblings approach, already dressed. Blue looked at the sleeping arrangement you made and looked from you to his brother. He sighed and made his way to the left side. He got the outside of the makeshift bed, and Stretch got the inside. You understood what he was doing.

Sans approached with Edge holding the back of his hoodie silently. The wizard made a motion for you to get in bed. You chose to sleep in the middle of everyone, so you got next to the bard and the paladin.

The comic skeleton got the blankets and started covering each one of you, adding the capes and his robe as an extra layer of warmth. He got to Edge's side and helped him take off his scarf and put it under the younger skeleton's head, and got himself comfortable to sleep.

"okay, i don't have a book to read," Edge held your hand under your blanket, and you squeezed it "but i do remember the story, so here we go."

This was your first time hearing 'PEEK-A-BOO with Fluffy Bunny.'

It was also the first time someone told you a story before falling asleep. 

Sans started the story, and one by one each of the skeletons would say a line or two from it. Each voice adding emotion to it, changing when a certain character talked.

The Bunny parents reminded you of yours. 

The Bunny siblings reminded you of the skeletons.

No matter the world they came from, Sans and Papyrus would be siblings and the best of friends.

You remembered having a best friend once, but he left without saying a word. Maybe you could visit him.

The last voice heard was the one of the first skeleton you met. 

Closing your eyes. You just remembered saying good night to everyone.

* * *

**Sans' PoV**

I woke up sweating again.

Another nightmare.

Another memory.

I notice Edge sleeping calm, holding Pixie close to him. It was adorable.

I sit up and notice someone else sweating and moving on his sleep. 

Blueberry.

His socket opens with a bright cyan, and bones start appearing in different places. I could feel the KaRma on those bones.

That was wrong. I talked to Stretch during the night before, he is the judge. Then why does Blue have KaRma attacks?

And why is he using them now?

"I BELIEVED..." he spoke in his sleep.

I won't deny that he didn't startle me when I saw him sit up covering his glowing socket.

He didn't notice me staring, he just turned and gave an audible sigh of relief when he saw his brother.

"YOU ARE OKAY... GOOD" his voice came out in a tone a bit above of a whisper.

"uh, blue?"

For a moment, all the summoned bones turned to me and Blue's eye glowed intensely. But all the bones disappeared.

"OH, SANS... IT'S YOU" another sigh of relief "DON'T STARTLE ME THAT WAY."

"how else was i supposed to get your attention?"

"I DON'T KNOW?" he seemed to think a bit "WAIT, WHY ARE YOU AWAKE? DID... DID I WAKE YOU UP?"

"no? i was already awake..."

"WHAT WOKE YOU UP THEN?"

"... the same thing as you" I was sure we both woke up because of nightmares. I wasn't sure if he woke up because of a memory.

I had no idea if they went through a Genocide Timeline.

"... YOU HAVE THEM TOO?"

"the nightmares? yeah" this situation was too surreal.

I'm awake at who knows what time, about to talk to myself from another universe about nightmares.

"SANS? WHAT ARE THOSE LIGHTS OUTSIDE?" or maybe not.

I turn to the entrance of the cave and see... bright balls floating around. They looked as if they were dancing.

"i have no idea" it was the honest truth, but I couldn't help but feel like I knew what they were.

Suddenly, one of them bolted out of the dance and collided against the ground. A loud rumble was heard.

Then another did the same.

And yet another.

"ball lightning" This was bad.

One just popped and lightning bolts came out of it.

"What's all the noise..." I see Pixie open her eyes, another ball popped. The light illuminated her face and I could only see the horror in it. "Ball lightning?" 

I could only nod in response. It was my first time witnessing something like this, and I had to admit, it made me curious. When I read about the skies in my universe, I remember reading there was no clear explanation to ball lightning, some doubted it was lightning and others said it was light trapped in a bubble of air.

It looked like in Aklirim, it was literal.

I was so fixed in that, that the trembling took me by surprise. Was that an earthquake?

Everyone was sitting up at that point, Pixie was hugging the younger skeletons close to her. 

I noticed the trembling didn't come out of the ground, if it did, I would have felt it on my bones. What I did feel was the sound of something heavy over us... probably something rolling down.

The shaking felt stronger, the debris of the cave was falling over us. 

We all got close to each other.

There was a loud crashing followed by several smaller ones and then all we had was silence.

We couldn't hear the storm anymore. 

The entrance of the cave was completely covered.

"No, no, no, no." Y/n was the first one to move. She ran fast to the entrance, tripping in the dark. I could see her hitting and pulling the rocks desperately. "Please, no!"

We were all too shocked to move. The events of the past 24 hours were too much for us.

And now, it seemed to finally get to who we followed as a leader.

A big boulder fell near her, but she didn't make an attempt to move, she just kept moving whatever she could get her hands on.

The next time it happened, I noticed how Stretch moved and pulled her back from the rocks.

"Let me go! I need to get out! Let me out!"

"honey, you're going to hurt yourself"

"I wa- wanna get out!" she was screaming in between sobs, her voice was trembling.

"we'll get out later, calm down!" 

I saw her struggle against Stretch's grip, and it looked like she was winning.

I sighed and got up.

"STRETCH! RELEASE HER!" Edge's voice came out loud. 

My movement seemed to pull the other two skeletons out of their trance.

"MAIDEN, PLEASE! YOU ARE GOING TO HURT YOURSELF!"

Edge got her out of Stretch's hold. Blue just approached and attempted to calm her down.

I just used gravity magic and put her down.

"SANS! STOP THAT YOU ARE GOING TO HURT HER!"

She kept struggling, trying to get up, but I could feel her giving up fighting. What was she fighting anyways?

Whatever it was, we needed her to calm down and stop her from hurting herself.

Soon, she stopped struggling, and we stopped hearing her sobs. 

I released her SOUL from my magic. But she still had her knees close to her body her face hiding on it, she was whispering something.

Stretch was the only one that wasn't looking at her. He was glaring at me.

"MAIDEN?" he got close to her slowly. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?" I could see his eyes studying her "CAN YOU REPEAT THAT?"

"-om." She was shaking again.

"WHAT?"

"I'll be g-"

"MAIDEN?

"I'll be good." She started sobbing again, "Mom, let me out..."

"LITTLE PIXIE," Edge talked with a soft voice, one different from his usual gruff voice "YOU ARE HERE WITH ME," he pulled her up "YOU ESCAPED, NO ONE IS GOING TO TRAP YOU ANYMORE." He started petting her head "DAME MANTHE IS YOUR MOM AND SHE WOULD NEVER DO THAT. REMEMBER?" she looked so tiny in his arms. "SIR EGGATH, DAME MANTHE, THE GOLIATHS" he paused and the next words were something I couldn't listen.

You nodded.

...

After a bit, she fell asleep. But the rest of us were having our own, discussion.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT, SANS?" Blue asked me.

"we needed her to calm down!" We kept our voices low in an attempt not to wake her, "she was hurting herself."

"BUT YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO USE MAGIC ON HER SOUL!"

"what did you want me to do? because holding her didn't work, you saw how aggressive she got with your brother"

"it is better than using magic she isn't used to." All this time, the youngest Papyrus didn't stop glaring at me.

I huffed at that "yeah, better if we wanted one of you to get hurt."

"PAPY WAS DOING WHAT HE COULD! HE WAS THE FASTEST TO REACT"

"why did you wait for me to move to react?"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU REACT BEFORE PAPY IF YOU ARE SUCH AN EXPERT AT HANDLING SITUATIONS THEN?!"

"at least i moved and didn't just stand in the same place!"

"if it wasn't for me, you could've gotten hurt, papyrus!"

"PAPY KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING!"

"clearly, because it didn't get him anywhere!"

"WOULD YOU IMBECILES STOP SCREAMING?" the low voice of the oldest Papyrus made us stop.

When did we start screaming?

"NONE OF YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO." He frowned. "IT IS MY FAULT FOR NOT REACTING FASTER."

"EDGE, IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT."

"IT IS BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HER." He walked away from her side to where we were "IT IS BECAUSE I PROMISED TO PROTECT HER AND KEEP HER SAFE, BUT I JUST STARED WITHOUT MOVING."

"what happened to her?" Stretch asked, almost timidly.

"... THAT'S NOT FOR ME TO SAY. I SHOULDN'T EVEN KNOW."

The rustle of her clothing made us all look at her.

"LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR. YOU DON'T RESTRAIN HER MOVEMENT IN ANY WAY IN ANY KIND OF SITUATION, AND YOU WILL KEEP YOUR VOICES DOWN IF YOU ARE GOING TO TALK, BUT THIS DISCUSSION IS OVER."

After that, none of us talked. We got to different places in the cave. 

Whatever happened to her, it just made what I did worse.

She told me she ran away from home.

And now she said something about her mom. 

What kind of parents did she leave behind in Ebott?

What I did... did she make her remember that?

I looked at her, from the entrance. Maybe I could CHECK her SOUL...

Maybe I could get past Edge to CHECK how she is fast. But he wasn't the only one guarding her now.

Stretch has been staring at me and I swear I noticed orange sparks out of his right socket. He would know if I CHECK.

My only option was to wait for her to wake up and hopefully, be able to talk to her.

And apologize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first of three chapters that will happen underground.
> 
> When I was writing it, I asked myself "Dudette, what happened to the enemies that the party fought?" and I had to be honest with myself. I didn't think about that while writing the episode.
> 
> So maybe I will get something ready for them. Or maybe not.
> 
> Probably not.
> 
> Anyways, yup, I got the party trapped under a mountain, again, because I am a bad potato. The whole party has bad memories of getting trapped. 
> 
> So yup, sorry, not sorry.
> 
> Laterz~


	12. Tender Sugar (Buoyant Ball Mountains: Part II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up, feeling disoriented. Learning about your current situation doesn't make it any easier.
> 
> **TRIGGER WARNING FOR PANIC ATTACKS**
> 
> Just in case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all... 
> 
> I wish you all the best this week. Remember to take care, okay? And to support each other.  
> You are all awesome and full of potential! Use this time to get closer to your loved ones.
> 
> Secondly, thank you all so much for the comments, kudos, bookmarks, and hits. I didn't know if anyone would like the story or even check it, what I had clear is that I wanted to share it.
> 
> This story and mostly, my motivation to write it wouldn't be the same without you beautiful people.
> 
> Lastly, this chapter was inspired by the song Tender Sugar by Akira Yamaoka and sung by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn from Silent Hill 4: The Room OST.

The "first time" you woke up, you tried to sit. The ache of your muscles and the dizziness prevented you from doing so. In the end, you managed to lift your head and drop it in the pillow.

The next time, you tried talking, but your throat was too dry, so you decided to leave it.

The voice of someone asking you to wake up almost convinced you to do it. Almost.

What woke you up was the feeling of someone brushing your hair. It has been years since mom did this for you. 

You decided to turn on your side to give her easier access to your hair.

Ignoring the murmurs of voices in the background, you sighed happily. The fingers running through your hair and caressing your scalp felt... different. Nice, but different from your mom's.

Wait, if your mom wasn't the one brushing your hair, then who was it?

You needed to think, who could be the one to do that? 

Taking deep breaths, there had to be a reason for you to feel so uneasy.

Was it because of the one brushing your hair? No. No, it wasn't. The action was calming you.

What were you doing before falling asleep? Who was with you?

There was a flash. A strong movement. The ground was shaking.

The skeletons! Right, you were with the skeletons. You took shelter from the thunderstorm and Blue, Edge and Stretch were scared. Sans was sick but you helped him. Then... you ate. Yes. Soup. Sans started telling a story.

You couldn't remember what the story was about. 

What else could you remember? Your head is hurting from trying to remember, and you feel the sweat starting to run down your back and forehead.

What happened next was... important...

Your breathing started to get faster and unsteady. The gloved phalanges kept caressing the back of your head and running through your (h/c) hair. You felt another hand on your forehead, something soft drying it.

"Y/N?" the soft call from Blue's voice tempted you to open your eyes. But you felt scared of what you would see. Why? "SIGH. NOTHING."

A huff came from behind you "SHE WILL WAKE UP WHEN SHE IS READY."

"... EDGE? YOU SHOULD... REST A BIT TOO."

"I AM COMPLETELY FINE."

"SIGH... YOU HAVE SAID THAT FOR DAYS." Days?

"I HAD SOME REST YESTERDAY."

"CLOSING YOUR SOCKETS DOESN'T COUNT. PAPY TOLD ME YOU WERE AWAKE."

"I HAVE TO BE AWAKE IN CASE SHE WAKES UP." How long has Edge been waiting?

"IF YOU TOLD US WHAT YO-"

"I WON'T AND YOU KNOW THAT." The soft thud came from the place Blueberry was. "GET SOME MORE WATER."

"ON ONE CONDITION." 

"WHAT IS IT?"

"ONCE I'M BACK, YOU HAVE TO REST."

"MAKE IT QUICK."

You heard the clinking from Blue's boots get far. The feel of the hairbrush and the fingers in your hair from before came back. There was a sound near you and the smell of smoke with a hint of caramel filled your nostrils.

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT SMOKING NEAR HER, DOLT CIGARETTE?"

"hmm? i dunno."

"NOT TO DO IT."

"but she doesn't mind, she even made them for me."

"THAT'S NO EXCUSE AND I DO MIND."

"why? do you want some?"

"... NO."

"is that some hesitation i hear?" the bard chuckles "what would people say of the great and terrible edge for wanting to try a cigarette?"

"I STOPPED SMOKING, IT IS BAD FOR LUNGS."

"uh, dude, last i checked we don't have those." 

The sound of something wrinkling followed "BUT HUMANS DO."

"huh. true" you feel Stretch lying down next to you "why do you care tho?"

"AS CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD I HAVE TO BE AN EXAMPLE FOR MONSTERKIND, UNLIKE YOU AND THAT BLUE PEST OF YOUR BROTHER, I HAVE A REPUTATION TO KEEP."

"did you train hard to be one?"

Silence.

"my bro trained daily, you know? he's the strongest monster i know but he didn't make it to the guard."

"HE IS TOO SOFT FOR THAT."

"he is the toughest monster i know, people just judge books by their covers."

"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?"

"that i already saw through you, edge." What are they talking about? "i don't know how things worked in your underground, just know that i'll keep a socket open for you."

"ARE YOU THREATENING ME?"

"no, just warning you. try to be nicer to my bro, it may not look like it, but he feels bad that you are the only one carrying with whatever you know about her." 

"I'M STILL NOT SAYING A WORD."

"sure, skeletor."

"IS THAT ALL?"

"nah, it is sans turn to check on her."

"HE CAN KEEP TRYING TO FIND A WAY OUT OF HERE." Your body flinched.

"... Out?" you turned to see Edge.

"i'll get the others."

You could barely see a thing. "Where are we?" your voice felt so hoarse.

"HERE, DRINK THIS," he was holding one of the bottles from your apothecary set "I PREPARED IT AS YOU TOLD THE CHILDREN."

You shook your head hoping he would understand you felt too weak to do it on your own. And it seemed like it worked because the next thing you noticed was Edge helping you to sit and bringing the bottle to your lips.

"OPEN UP" you did that, and expected him to just tip the whole content down your throat. Instead, he just tipped just a bit each time, hydrating you slowly.

Chamomile and honey. A good choice for a sore throat and to re-hydrate someone. It wasn't warm or cold, just room temperature. You smiled to yourself, you taught him well.

"Thank you" your voice still sounded bad, but not as bad as before. You just needed some water. "What happened?"

"I..." he settled you back in the pillow and held your hand "I PROMISED YOUR FATHER THAT I WOULD PROTECT YOU, REMEMBER?" You just nodded. "I NEED YOU TO TRUST IN ME" You didn't understand what he meant, "YOUR FATHER, DAME MANTHE, THEY TOLD ME ABOUT YOUR LIFE, BEFORE AKLIRIM."

His words made you try to sit up. Sighing he gently made you lay back down.

"THEY WOULD USUALLY RESPECT YOUR PRIVACY ABOUT THAT, BUT THEY NEEDED ME TO KNOW IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENED. THEY SEND THEIR APOLOGIES" that did sound like something they would say, Edge clears his throat "THEY ALSO SAID THAT THEY" he looks around "THEY LOVE YOU AND TO BE NICE ABOUT IT BECAUSE I HAD NO CHOICE." Yup, those are your parents. He squeezes your hand and starts caressing your head again.

"Edge?"

"STOP TALKING, I'M NOT DONE" you can hear the clinking echoing around you. "I WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO TELL YOU, UNLESS, SOMETHING HAPPENED." He pulled your hand closer to him. "I WILL KEEP MY PROMISE TO SIR EGGATH AND DAME MANTHE AS LONG AS WE TRAVEL TOGETHER." He breathed in. "YOU HELPED ME CALM DOWN DURING THE THUNDERSTORM. NOW IT IS MY TURN TO REPAY YOU." Oh, so he remembers. Did he remember how you cured Sans too? You bite your bottom lip. "DURING THE NIGHT, THAT DAY" he squeezed your hand again "THERE WAS A LANDSLIDE AND BIG BOULDERS BLOCKED... THE ENTRANCE."

"What?" you started shaking, and the sweating came back.

"Y/N, I NEED YOU TO TRY TO BREATHE."

You couldn't you were shaking too much.

"LITTLE PIXIE, YOU CAN DO IT."

You felt your chest constricting, you couldn't.

"LITTLE PIXIE, REMEMBER THE SMELL OF CHAMOMILES, AS LONG AS YOU FEEL IT YOU WILL BE SAFE."

The chamomiles. Yes, you could remember. The ones out of your window.

You breathed in shakily, and slowly. The scent of the flowers would always be with you. Your hair would always smell like them.

"YOU ARE DOING WELL, LITTLE PIXIE."

You breathed out, you could feel the tears flowing down your face. 

You didn't notice the steps that stopped behind you.

You breathed in, and out. As much as you could. Your body was still shaking, and the sweat kept running down your back, but the pressure on your chest was disappearing.

"REMEMBER THE CROWN OF CHAMOMILES YOU MADE FOR YOUR DAD, HE SAID HE WOULD WEAR IT ALL DAY, AND HE DID."

You snort at that, it interrupted your breathing, but the memory was too funny. The most intimidating Goliath wore a flower crown all day and made sure everyone could see it. He stopped everyone to point at the crown and told them how his daughter made a crown for him.

You kept breathing, the aroma of the small flowers was around you. Edge's voice was low, firm and softer than ever, and he kept reminding you of things you did with your parents. You didn't keep track of how much time passed, but you were calm enough to address the situation.

You weren't aware of the moment when you sat up or when Edge moved to support you.

You appreciated it tho.

"I... GOT THE WATER."

You turned your head and could see the shape of your three companions standing near you.

"wait right there, honey" Stretch approached "you may want to close your eyes." You did that and felt a hand touch your thigh, only to be removed fast. "there you go, honey prince." Opening your eyes again, you find the blanket covering you shining in a warm yellow light. You could finally see their faces clearly.

"MAIDEN, DO YOU WANT TO DRINK SOME WATER?" you nodded, your throat was hydrated, but all the sweating and crying started to make your head hurt. Another sign of dehydration. "DRINK IT SLOWLY, OKAY?" He was a little hesitant and poured water in your mouth a bit faster than Edge did before, but it wasn't enough to make you choke on it. 

"SANS, I NEED A STATUS REPORT," you feel him move to lay you back down and he looked from one of the brothers to the other as if he was thinking what to do. "YOU TWO, STAY WITH HER, AND IF ANYTHING HAPPENS YOU WILL INFORM ME IMMEDIATELY, IS THAT CLEAR."

"YES, CAPTAIN!" the cleric responded enthusiastically.

"she'll be okay with us, skullmageddon, just go."

"IF ANYTHING HAPPENS, CALL OUT FOR ME AND I WILL BE HERE."

"Okay, thanks, Edgey."

The paladin stood up and walked where the wizard was standing "LET'S TALK NEAR THE WATER." He looked at you one last time and made a sharp turn and walked with Sans away. You could no longer see their silhouettes.

The brothers stayed with you. Blue making sure to help you rehydrate and Stretch playing his ukulele, the music was calming. You were avoiding to think about your situation, and every time your mind started going down that road, you would ask the first thing that came to your mind. Soon, the three of you were making questions to each other.

"It depends on the time of the day."

"YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE FAVORITE FOOD THEN?"

"Yup, pancakes with berries for breakfast."

"honey, makes the best ones i ever had."

"I WANT TO TRY THEM TOO!"

"Sure, I just need the ingredients."

"I'LL GET THEM AS SOON AS WE ARE-" Stretch's hand covered his brother's mouth.

"in the market then you can choose the berries you want" he was sweating a bit, looking at his brother that was still talking but the sound came all muffled "what is your favorite for lunch?"

"Hmmm... I like pasta, Italian food. I wish I knew the real recipes, I had to improvise for 10 years."

"i like spaghetti."

"BUT HE CAN'T COOK IT," says the older brother now free from his brother's grip "I HAD TO BAN HIM FROM THE KITCHEN BECAUSE HE AND UNDYNE ALMOST MADE IT EXPLODE."

"he's exaggerating, don't pay attention to my bro." at this point, Stretch's skull turned completely orange.

"PAPY, THE KITCHEN HAD A RUBE GOLDBERG MACHINE!" 

"it was a good machine."

"IT WASN'T BECAUSE IT CAUGHT FIRE."

"it will be missed."

"I HAD TO CLEAN EVERYTHING" Blue laid next to you and hid his face on your neck, weeping jokingly "THERE WAS SPAGHETTI ON THE CEILING." 

"bro, stop it" you have never seen the bard so flustered before.

"WOE IS ME FOR NOT TEACHING MY BROTHER HOW TO COOK!"

"sans added glitter to his tacos."

"What? Really?" that surprised you.

"he also added glue to them."

The cleric was the one blushing now "DON'T LISTEN TO HIM, MAIDEN" he pulled himself up using one arm, his face was in front of yours "I STOPPED USING THOSE INGREDIENTS WHEN I HEARD THAT HUMANS COULDN'T EAT THEM, PLEASE BELIEVE ME."

"I LEFT FOR 37 MINUTES AND 21SECONDS" the stomping made your head hurt a bit "AND I FIND YOU ALL OVER HER, TASTELESS IMBECILE!" Blue gets pulled up by Edge as if he didn't weight a thing.

"keep it down, edgelord... her head hurts."

"DON'T YO-" the involuntary flinch you made didn't go unnoticed, the booming tone he was using changing to something lower and softer "DON'T ORDER ME AROUND, DECALCIFIED BUFFOON." During the whole thing, you noticed Sans standing away from all of you. Did something happen?

"CAN YOU PUT ME DOWN NOW?" with a sigh Edge sets Blue on the ground.

"so... what's the news?" 

"WE WILL EAT, AND THEN WE WILL START MOVING."

"BUT SHE IS STILL TOO WEAK FOR THAT."

"THAT'S WHY I'LL CARRY HER."

"Edge, you need to rest."

"I CAN STAY UP FOR A WEEK, WE CAN REST THEN."

"there is no stopping him, pixie, i even tried to use the spell to make him sleep." Sans finally talked.

"in the end, sans and my bro were the only ones that fell asleep."

"IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE MAGIC, I'M NOT A LAZYBONES LIKE MY BROTHER AND SANS!"

"Can I at least cook?" You didn't like not doing anything, you didn't like feeling so weak and most of all, you wanted to keep yourself distracted. 

And after hearing how the siblings cooked, you weren't sure if the other two knew how to cook and didn't want to find out.

"NO, NO. WE CAN COOK, MAIDEN, YOU JUST STAY HERE AND REST." Oh no.

"uh, blue? how about i cook today?" Sans was sweating visibly.

"BUT I WANT TO COOK."

"hey, how about you keep an eye on her with edge? stretch and i can manage, right kiddo?"

"don't k i d d o me," you see him stand up "but sure, i'll help" he winks at you "don't miss me, my prince."

"Just don't get things on fire, princess" you teased.

Once the two left, Blue tried to ask Edge a few things about his life on the Underground and later on Ebott. You tried to keep your attention on what they were saying, but your mind tuned them out and focused on one thing. They were trapped for so long. 

And they were so calm.

And you were there, lying down, not being able to move or even stop shaking.

You closed your eyes and covered your face with the blanket. It was your fault that all of you were trapped again. And you couldn't even get them out again because you could barely move. 

The small tug you felt on the blanket made you breathe faster, making you catch the scent of chamomile from your hair. A voice, you heard it talking about water. You breathed again, the tug you felt before insisted again, you felt something brush against your fingers, and it calmed you down.

The next time, you let the blanket to be lifted, but you didn't dare to open your eyes.

"MAIDEN?" 

"LITTLE PIXIE?"

The voices were warm and welcoming. They weren't like hers.

"UH... CAN YOU TEACH ME HOW TO PREPARE THE DRINK EDGE PREPARED?" this voice was worried and were they asking for your help? "THE ONE WITH CHAMOMILE, EDGE REFUSES TO TEACH ME."

"IT IS KNOWLEDGE SHE PASSED ONTO ME, I WON'T GIVE IT TO YOU SO EASILY, PE- BLUE."

That's right. You started taking deeper breaths. You were safe, you had them with you.

"YOU SEE, MAIDEN? HE DOESN'T WANT TO SHARE, AND I, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE, WANT TO LEARN ABOUT THE PLANTS YOU HAVE."

"KEEP DREAMING, BUF- BLUE, ONLY I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE, CAN GET THE POWER AND KNOWLEDGE OF FLORA SHE HAS. NYAHAHAH!"

"I..." your voice was shaky, but that was okay. "I can teach you."

"MWEHEHEH" you were pulled up in a hug, it startled you, but you felt yourself relax. Your parents always hugged you, "THANK YOU, MAIDEN." The click of the paladin's tongue made you smile at him.

"Edge? I'm tired." That you were.

"REST, WE WILL WAKE YOU UP ONCE FOOD IS READY," He looked at the lazy skeletons "IF THEY EVER START COOKING INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT EACH OTHER."

"DON'T WORRY, MAIDEN, I WILL GET THOSE TWO COOKING IN NO TIME." He pulled away from you and settled you back down. He tucked you in and pressed his teeth against your forehead. "REST WELL, Y/N."

You couldn't describe the look Edge gave him when he left. It reminded of the one your father gave your best friend, but different. You pulled one arm out, slowly and patted the place next to you. 

"You need to rest too," your eyelids felt heavy "rest with me?"

"I" he looked the other way "WHY WOULD I?"

"It..." you blushed, "One of my parents would stay with me whenever I was... in a bad place." Your eyes closed, you were so tired.

Before you fell asleep, you felt someone next to you.

* * *

**Blue's PoV**

I left Y/N's side so she could rest. I didn't want to leave her, but I had to admit Edge made a better job than any of us at calming her down. I was really worried about everyone. None of us admitted it out loud, but I noticed their uneasiness. It wasn't the Maiden's fault, but she reflected the worry many monsters had once we got to the Surface.

The fear of being trapped under the mountain again.

Our situation didn't help us a lot. We were trapped under a mountain in a world full of magic. We didn't even know if the thunderstorm stopped. Sans who was the only one that could teleport us safely couldn't do it because he was sleeping the whole way here.

The first day we were trapped, I was asked to teleport us out. But I couldn't focus on what I saw before entering the cave, the storm was overwhelming. Papyrus said that it would be risky to teleport if the storm was still going, so we all dropped that idea.

I wasn't going to tell them I didn't want to teleport, the idea of getting through the void with someone else after losing Papyrus in there, it made me feel even worse about it than before. The Void, whatever it was, it was too dangerous for the ones that didn't know it.

In any case, I was grateful to my brother for talking about the weather, but it was frustrating too.

Everyone ends up thinking he is the oldest one because of how overprotective he is.

As I approach Sans and my brother, they stop talking, the only words I catch are 'if you don't tell her, i will' and 'this isn't over.'

"TWO LAZYBONES, THAT'S WHAT YOU TWO ARE" It is better if they don't know I heard that "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TWO ARE HERE GIBBERING WHILE EDGE AND I WERE TAKING CARE OF Y/N." I put my hands on my hip bones. "WHAT IS YOUR EXCUSE BABYBONES?" 

"we're not babybones" Wowzers, I didn't know they could talk at the same time.

"I'M THE OLDEST SKELETON AROUND, THAT MAKES YOU ALL BABYBONES IN MY BOOK."

"what are ya doing here, bro? thought you were taking care of honey with hot topic."

"PAPY, BE NICER TO EDGE, THIS IS WHY HE KEEPS CALLING YOU NAMES" I swear those two never stop with the names "AND I HAD TO LEAVE HER BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T COOKING, I THOUGHT I WOULD OFFER MY ASSISTANCE SINCE YOU TWO AREN'T MOVING."

"we were trying to decide but... what can we cook with this?" I approached and started looking at the things we had and... I couldn't think of anything. There were mushrooms I've never seen and some pod looking things? I was familiar with the beef jerky after eating only that for weeks. We also had a really dry cheese and some hard looking bread. 

I knew carrots and potatoes. But I couldn't identify most of the plants.

"UH... SANS, YOU SHOULD KNOW HOW TO COOK, YOU RAISED YOUR BROTHER TOO."

"grillbs helped us when we were little and... only know how to make quiche and 'dogs or 'cats" he frowned a bit "wait, you should know how to cook. you are the oldest after all" his smile widened.

"I UH- OF COURSE!" It can't be that hard, right? "I CAN COOK A MEAL WITH... THIS!" I say grabbing a root? Was it a root?

"okay, so we can leave you to it, right?" Oh no.

"YOU CAN HELP ME HERE," I say holding Sans by the shoulder. 

"i'll go check on honey while you two cook then" I put my other hand on Papy's shoulder.

"OH NO DEAR BROTHER, YOU AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE."

If I go down, I'll bring them both with me.

* * *

A 'MWEHEHEH' was heard echoing in the walls of the cave.

You didn't hear it. You only moved towards the warmth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this seems too focused on Edge for the moment, but it is because he is the one that knows the most about Reader. He lived with her parents for a long time, and Eggath was known for blabbering around about his daughter day and night.
> 
> Imagine how many things Edge had to listen about someone he didn't know, from literally everyone at the Dynasty.
> 
> Soon, I'll give the others more moments with the reader, so please be patient uvu
> 
> It is all part of the plan, lol
> 
> Laterz~


	13. Luv(sic) (Buoyant Ball Mountains: Part III)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party starts moving again. 
> 
> You realize that they are good at moving Underground, but they are really bad at keeping track of directions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, there!
> 
> Last part of the Buoyant Ball Mountains. And let me tell you one thing::
> 
> The dice have spoken and their rolls are absolute *thunder sounds in the background*
> 
> Also, I was supposed to release the chapter yesterday, but I got a stomachache and I'm kinda scared of them so... I kinda panicked. Still, I was saved by my mom that gave me a bergamot mint and lemon balm infusion that got me better in less than 4 hours.
> 
> Anyways.
> 
> The name of this chapter is inspired by all parts of Luv (sic) a hexalogy album produced by Nujabes feat. Shing02. The story of the album is incredible from my perspective. I invite you all to check it out.

"WHAT THE-?!" A voice interrupts your sleep, but you are too tired to even attempt to move "IS THIS ALLOWED?" 

"what are ya talking about... bro?"

"IS THAT ALLOWED?"

"naps? of course."

"I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT NAPS!"

You feel your pillow move and a... hand? Covering your ear, and a low growl. You open your eyes a bit and... oh, it was just Edge. So he decided to rest with you, that's good, you were worried he wouldn't rest at all.

"SHUT YOUR TRAPS, YOU ARE GOING TO WAKE HER UP." Everyone gets quiet after that. The paladin looks down and finds you staring back and you can feel him tense up. A minute goes by and you can see his zygomatic bones dusting with a faint shade of red.

Then another, the red intensifies.

And another minute, by now his skull is a bright apple.

"Hi?" You feel something slip from under your pillow, and Edge just stands up grabbing Blue's waterskin and starts to walk away "Hey! I was comfy."

"I DON'T CARE!" he stops briefly "YOU NEED WATER, DON'T TALK UNTIL YOU DRINK SOMETHING" and he walks away fast.

"uh... what just happen?" Sans asks.

"I HAVE NO IDEA, BUT I DON'T LIKE IT ONE BIT!" Blue adds, making you turn and look at their faces. D'awww, you actually see him pouting a bit. You never thought you would see one do it, but there you have it.

"same, bro, same."

You try to sit up and manage to do it on your own. Now that Edge left, you feel a bit cold. You don't know if it is because of the warmth he provided, or the feeling of safety you got from him.

In retrospect, you were glad your parents asked him to go with you. If you were in this situation without someone that knew about you... you...

Your stomach decided to distract you by rumbling.

"WOWZERS! THAT WAS LOUD." You blush at his statement and were about to talk back, but you really shouldn't. You went days without hydrating properly. So you decided to frown at him and cross your arms.

"MWEHEHEH! DON'T WORRY, MAIDEN, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE AND HIS TWO LAZY AND ALMOST EQUALLY MAGNIFICENT ASSISTANTS COOKED A DISH THAT WILL END YOUR HUNGER AND GET YOUR ENERGY BACK IN NO THYME."

... Did he make a pun or not? You weren't sure.

Sans smiles and puts something in your hand "we just hope it makes you feel breader" of course, there is bread in your hand. You laugh low and soft, it made you feel sophisticated for a moment.

"MWEHEHEH I HAD A LUNCH THAT YOU WOULD APPRECIATE THE PUNS, MAIDEN." Forget feeling sophisticated, you snorted this time.

"we have a grate menu today, pixie"

"WE WOULD APPRECIATE IT VERY MUNCH IF YOU TRIED IT"

"i promise eat is good"

"nyeh! just stop it with the puns."

"COME ON PAPY, YOU KNOW YOU LOVE THEM!"

"HOW ABOUT" you feel two arms lift you up "YOU THREE STOP LOAFING AROUND" Edge walks away, leaving 3 stunned skeletons behind while he laughs with his trademark 'NYAHAHAH.'

* * *

**Blue's PoV**

Again.

He did it, again.

I swear that from now on, I need to keep track of how many moves Edge pulls a move on Y/N. I expected my brother or even the other me to pull moves on her, not him. 

Now that I think about it, I should have expected it from him. He is around acting like some sort of barrier that keeps us away. I clicked my tongue earning a glance from Sans. I thought that he would be a problem since he met the Maiden first, but he seemed to know about her as much as I did. Not even my brother seems to know a lot about her and they have been traveling together for months.

I know that Edge must be keeping some useful information in his journal, but I haven't been able to get it. I tried to take it from his pauldron when he lifted me earlier but it wasn't there.

I start serving lunch, the soup doesn't taste bad, the three of us approved its taste. I just hope she does too. 

The other days, we ate the leftovers of what she cooked and... beef jerky. I was tired of it, but I had to admit that it was very nutritious. I'm glad that every ingredient has a bit of magic on them, or else we wouldn't be able to process them, or we would get sick.

As I pass the food, I keep thinking on how to get the information Edge has. It would be so useful if anything like this happened again. I would be able to help her and not just sit there trying to figure out what to do or waiting for the mean version of my brother to tell me what to ask. If I could read his journal it would be so easy to find out about her past.

I see her looking at the food and waiting for everyone to get their share. She must be the hungriest of all of us, yet she is waiting so patiently.

Wait a minute.

PATIENCE! THAT'S IT!

To win her heart, I have to do it on my own! I don't need the journal. My bond with her would be stronger by sharing our experiences in a relationship based on trust and honesty.

Edge may know things because he lived at her house, but I will know them because she will choose to tell me.

I just have to keep doing the same as I've been doing now. Be her friend, and later become her datemate.

All of us start eating. The root thingy had a great flavor and added a bit of sweetness to the soup... stew... what we cooked. It contrasted well with the savory flavor of the mushrooms.

"Hmmm... This is better than I expected." I see her eating, slowly. I thought she would eat faster after not eating for so long. Maybe she didn't like it.

"DID YOU LIKE IT, MAIDEN?"

"Oh? Yes, I did."

"THEN WHY ARE YOU EATING SO SLOW? I THOUGHT YOU WERE HUNGRY..."

"I have to eat this slow, I've been days without food, eating fast could be bad for me." She shakes her head "Years of training, but I'm still human."

"YOU USED TO TRAIN, MAIDEN?" She is telling me something about herself!

"Uh, yeah, with my parents. You know, exercise a bit." 

"WHAT KIND OF EXERCISES?" 

"The usual." She seems to be closing up.

"did you learn how to use the crossbow from them?" Nice question, Papy!

"Yup, for fishing."

"YOU WERE SO FAST REACTING THE OTHER DAY, HOW DID YOU NOTICE THE-"

"WHAT IS THIS THING YOU ADDED?" And there we have him intervening again! Sighing, I look at what he is showing me. And it is some of that... root thingy.

"UH, IT IS" I look at Papyrus, but he just looks at his bowl and keeps eating. Sans has both of his eyes closed while he eats. 

Traitors.

"A ROOT." Yup.

"AND WHAT IS THIS ROOT CALLED?" Stop asking me about it!

"IT HAS A NAME, AND IT IS A GOOD ONE TOO."

If silence ever was a good answer, please, tell me, because I've never experienced it before.

"It is called burdock."

"like the saiyan?"

"... I don't know? Maybe?"

"did you watch dragon ball z?" 

"Just a few episodes..." She looks a bit sad "Anyways, burdock root is" she bites her lip "nutritive, and helps with kidney diseases. It can be used to treat some burns too." Did she hide something?

"Can you pass me the water, Stretch?"

"WAIT, I HAVE MORE OF THAT INFUSION FROM BEFORE."

"Awesome," she smiles at Edge... again "Thank you!" 

I notice Papy squinting his sockets at his other-self "do you still want the water, honey?" he says, still holding Baggy on his hand.

"Yup," she grabs it and smiles at my brother "Thankies, princess." Why does she call him Princess?

"anything for you, my prince" he said winking and earning a giggle from her.

I look at Sans who had his eyes open and was looking confused at the whole interactions.

Unlike him, I was aware 100% of the situation.

Those two knew what to do and what to say to make her blush, smile, laugh and even calm her down.

I want to be able to do that too.

* * *

**Stretch's PoV**

I was happy to see her talking and laughing again. The party isn't the same without her, and we soon realized that. Without counting my talks with my bro, I talked today more than any of the other days.

I just hope that after we get out, we can talk things through. I still have to apologize to her for holding her, I didn't know what else to do, but I have to tell her. She probably doesn't remember it. I just don't want to make her feel more pressure. 

Just being underground is stressing her enough. I don't think that closed places scare her, after all, she kept the door of her room at the inn locked.

What makes a locked room different from a cave? Why one scares her and the other doesn't?

Is she claustrophobic?

No. Her workshop was a small place and it was full of things, it made the place look even smaller.

What did all the rooms have in common? Doors with a lock. A window.

She could exit them through the door or the window. I even got inside her inn room through the window. And her bedroom and workshop had windows that were opened and locked from the inside.

I opened my sockets and saw her face, a bit sweaty, illuminated by the fire. Her guardian studying her every movement.

She wasn't scared of small spaces or locked rooms. She was scared of not being able to leave.

Cleithrophobia, the fear of being trapped.

It was very specific. She must have learned to keep it under control if she wasn't scared of locked rooms. The windows probably helped.

That's why she is still shaking and sweating. She looks calmer, but I think we all can tell she is still isn't okay.

We need to find an exit soon, it is affecting her more than us and that is a lot to say considering we lived trapped under Mount Ebott for over a century. Still, we never knew the surface before the kid broke the barrier.

Her situation... it was probably more personal. There was no human we could blame for keeping us trapped. The ones who did it were dead and humankind didn't know there was a whole race under the mountain.

She, she mentioned her mother. 

I remember her telling me, and later Edge too, that you escaped from home, and that her biological parents were bad people. She didn't say anything else, and it was clear she didn't want to talk about it. She didn't seem to like humans and preferred to call herself a Goliath at heart. 

There was no point to keep thinking about it. If she feels it is necessary, she will tell us about it.

I see everyone moving, it seems like it'll be time to move soon. 

I think my bro can handle packing my things. I will keep my honey company while everyone else packs.

"go pack, spiky, i'll stay with her."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT, INSUFFERABLE TANK ENGINE." Did he just make another nickname?

"you gotta hurry, ultimate opportunist."

"I SHOULD BE CALLING YOU THAT," Another reference wasted on the edgelord.

"If we are going to move, then I'll need to pack my things too."

"NO," he scowls and looks at me "I CAN DO THAT, ASH- STRETCH, WILL STAY WITH YOU FOR 10 MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS AND MAYBE LESS."

"Thanks for all the help, Edge." I sit down next to her and pull her in a hug. 

Stop smiling at him like that.

As I feel her relax against me, and the other me leave fast, I let myself enjoy the moment.

* * *

After days without ingesting any kind of food or drink, you finally felt like you got your strength back. A bit. As best as it was possible.

Now, your issue wasn't that. The issue was... the call of nature.

You really needed some alone time to fulfill the last of your human needs. Usually, you would have some time alone while you all set camp to eat. You would say you were going to look for some firewood or mention how you saw some herb that would go nicely with the food. You suspected that your companions probably knew you were going to the bathroom and that's why they would let you go alone.

The problem was that you couldn't say any of those things now, and they wouldn't leave you alone.

But... maybe... there was a way for you to get some alone time. You could turn the fire off distracting the skeletons on how that happened. Then make a sound the opposite way from you, and use the mist to appear in another place!

Your plan was perfect.

If it wasn't because you felt too weak to even move. And because all of your companions would panic at your absence, and you would panic and then everyone would be panicking.

Maybe you could ask Stretch for help... but you have the feeling he would use it to tease you later. Asking his brother... you knew he would help, but he would end up making questions and you weren't up for that.

Edge... you knew you could ask him, but he has been taking care of you all the time. He helped you drink, calm down, apparently didn't leave your side for days just to make sure he was there when you woke up and even rested next to you because you have been too anxious to be left alone.

... that left... the skeleton that was approaching. Sans.

"Uhm... Stretch?"

"yes, honey?"

"I need to talk with Sans, privately." You look at your hands "Could you please tell Edge that I will be talking to him?" You look at the tallest skeleton and... see him frowning. "It'll just be for a bit, I promise."

"... sure" he pulls away slowly, making sure you can keep sitting on your own, "call me, my bro or spiky mcedge if you need us, okay?"

"Sure, but I'm sure I'll be fine with Sans."

"fine with me for what?"

"Oh! Sans, I wanted to talk to you for a bit" you pat the place where Stretch was sitting.

"sure, pixie" he walks and walks by Stretch, you see him nod at something the taller skeleton said before sitting next to you. You see the bard's shape fading away, "so... what did you wanna talk about?"

"Can you teleport with someone else?"

"uh... yes? why?"

"Remember when we met? How I pulled you from the river and even washed your clothes that day?"

"yeah, i cod never forget that day," you snort at the memory of the fish puns you made.

"Okay, so... I need your help. I need you to teleport me somewhere I can be alone, for at least 20 minutes."

"what?!" you cover his teeth with your hands and look in the direction the Papyri left.

"Listen, man, I need to do basic human stuff. You know..." he looks at me confused, his skull tilting, then his eyes widening and gradually, the face of understanding comes up to his face.

"oh"

"Yup, oh."

"so, i teleport you somewhere, get back and after 20 minutes go back for you."

"Yup, that's the plan."

"you know edge will try to kill me, right?"

"Exactly, the keyword is try," I give him what I expect to be an encouraging smile "You dodged the 3 of them when you were sick, and I know you can stall them by talking, and if it was truly necessary, you can teleport away from them."

"wouldn't it be easier if you told him?"

"Yes," he was right, you could do that.

"look, you tell him, i'll teleport you somewhere and make sure no one follows."

"Okay..."

"he won't get mad, you know?"

"WHO WON'T GET MAD?" the high-heeled skeleton's voice comes from behind you.

"holy stars!" "BY MERXIS RAGE!"

You didn't even notice when he approached.

You place a hand over your heart and start breathing deeply.

* * *

**Sans' PoV**

I felt her breathing quicken after the scare Edge gave us. I see him walk around and crouch in front of her.

Moments like that are the ones I can see the resemblance between him and Paps. I... miss him so much. I miss Grillby too, but I know he will be okay. Wherever he ended in this world, as long as there is a tavern, he will be able to pull himself through.

Papyrus on the other hand... trusted people too easily. He saw the good in everything.

It has been over a year since I last saw them and I can only hope they are okay.

"ARE YOU OKAY NOW, LITTLE PIXIE?"

"Yeah, just... you startled me. That's all," it definitely surprised her a lot.

"don't worry edge, we were just too invested in our talk," His frown wasn't a good sign. From the corner of my socket, I notice Blue and Stretch approaching. Oh no.

"AND WHAT WERE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT?" Now the other two are here too. Great. I look at her and she is biting her lip... she does that whenever she is nervous. She looks cute doing that, but it works against her whenever she does that.

"ehhh, well..." I need to think about something.

"YEAH, SANS. WHAT WERE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT?" Not helping, Blue.

"I was just telling Sans that..." she bites her lip again, please don't do that, they will know! "I want to wash so I asked him to go with me!"

... Maybe the other plan wasn't so bad.

Now they truly look like they are about to dust me. And I don't even dare to correct her, she looks so accomplished by managing to think of something at the last second.

"yeah, i told her about the river, and she asked me to teleport her there." I can still survive this, right?

"Once he gets me there, I can do the rest by myself, I just need to be alone for about... 40 minutes?"

"NO. YOU CAN CLEAN YOURSELF LATER." Is he serious?

"MAIDEN, I DON'T THINK IT IS A GOOD IDEA AT THE MOMENT." Blue, I expected more from you. Come on Stretch, from Judge to Judge, I know you can think of something.

"i think it would be good for her."

"WHAT?!"

"i read humans relax better after cleaning themselves."

"stretch is right, it also applies to monsters, just ask woshua."

"I would appreciate if I could just take a bit of time alone. I promise to call out to you if anything happens!" 

"OKAY, SANS, TELEPORT HER."

"okay."

"Can you hand me my backpack, Edge?"

I see her grab a leather pouch, her towel, and a change of clothes.

"ready, pixie?" I offer her a hand and she doesn't hesitate to take it. Her hand is soft and smaller compared to mine. "you'll need to close your eyes and hold tight."

"Will this make me dizzy?" I wasn't sure, the kid always seemed okay with it.

"probably."

She pulls me closer to her and hugs me, grabbing my robe from behind, "Now I'm ready."

I go through the Void and I hug her tightly, I can't see if she has her eyes closed, but I can feel her shifting to hug me better. And I get us near the river. I feel myself relax on her arms, she was so warm, and her presence comforted me. I could actually take a nap, or maybe two just like this.

"we're there, pixie" As nice as it felt, she had things to do. She separates a bit losing her balance for a moment and holding the front of my robe not to fall, "careful there."

"Mhmm, don't worry." She pulls away and manages to stand on her feet, "Thanks, Sans."

"you're welcome." We just stand there, looking at each other until that lovable giggle of her starts.

"See you later?"

"uh, yeah..." I wave at her. It's... weird.

I teleport back, ignoring the whole trip through the Void, and sit on the place we were before.

It is not the first time I get this sensation lately. I put a hand right over the place my SOUL is. Something feels off about it lately.

"SO, SANS" Blueberry stands up with his arms crossed in front of me "WHY SO BLUE?"

"what?"

"you are blushing"

"i'm what?"

"BLUSHING! YOU ARE COMPLETELY BLUE!" He looks at his brother "DID YOU GET SICK AGAIN?" and now he is worried.

"no? yes?" Am I sick again? "i don't know."

"HMMM..." Why do they keep looking at me? 

I see them turn around and I know they are talking in hands.

"DID SOMETHING HAPPEN WITH THE MAIDEN?"

"we teleported and then i teleported back?" What does she have to do with this?

"nothing else?" Hmmm...

"she thanked me and said she would see me later."

"ANYTHING ELSE?" 

"nope" he squinted his sockets as best as he could, and whatever he was trying to find, it looked like he found it, his eyes turned into big stars and he laughed.

"MWEHEHEH GREAT! COME ON, PAPY! WE HAVE TO CHECK IF WE HAVE EVERYTHING READY."

"but we checked twice already."

"AND THREE TIMES THE CHARM! LET'S GO" He pulls up Stretch while he replies that's not how that works.

Heh, those two are weird.

I see Edge standing up, alert. Probably wary about Y/N.

I sigh. The sensation from before is back. I don't understand it. It feels... pleasant. Warm.

I lay down on the ground.

Now it feels like that, other times it is... tingly. Kind of like her laughter, or the way she giggles. It is a bubbly feeling. Yes. But sometimes, sometimes it feels heavy. 

Like the time I grabbed her soul and... she was scared, I still feel so guilty.

Other times, it confuses me. I see her smiling and it makes me want to smile too. But her smile is because of someone else and I feel like I want her attention?

Oh. 

Wait, now I get it.

I pull my hood over my skull in hopes that it will cover my blush.

It is a shame it can't hide the fact that I like her.

* * *

After fulfilling your needs, washing yourself was both comforting and horrible. The water was so cold, and it made your shaking even worse, it also made your limbs feel weaker. The effort you had to make to keep yourself up, was both mentally and physically tiring. 

That was the reason why you were seating on a rock. The rock was dry but cold. Still a better option than the ground. You were trying to keep yourself busy. You found out that the river had fish on it. And that was good. That meant you would have food.

You also discovered that it was darker than you thought. When Sans left, you couldn't see a thing. Before you could see his pinpricks. You just hoped the spirits would be back soon with something to build a fire. You needed to keep thinking of something, you were getting... anxious again.

What else could you learn without light? 

The rock had no moss, even when it was near the river. You would dare to try to touch most of it, but you wouldn't without light. You didn't want to end like the first days of being an apothecary.

The sound of a fire getting lit, and the welcoming glow from it made you smile.

" _Thank you._ " You say to the spirits who probably left already. You didn't know where did they get the firewood, but you were grateful. Looking around, you recent tracks on the ground, because of the distance they had from each other, and the size, you could tell it was Sans who left those marks. The next thing you noticed was that even without moss, there seemed to be some kind of algae and lots of mushrooms.

You could identify at least 5 different kinds. And from those, you knew button mushrooms were edible, the other was good for joints, it would be suitable for your apothecary job. There was another one that would be helpful. It was the one that had the spores you used for the sleeping potion you gave Stretch. In case anything happens, it would be better for you to have one ready. Now, what to do with the two unknown species?

One looked... poisonous. And the other, you could feel magic on it, but couldn't tell what it did.

"Delectable ingredient, or deadly poison?" At this point, you were so focused on it, you were just sitting at a considerable distance from it, cross-legged. "I mean, what's the worse that could happen? Me getting poisoned again."

"you got poisoned?!"

"Yes, Sans, several times." You keep looking at the fungi, he puts his hand on your shoulder.

"did you touch any of those mushrooms? are you okay? are you poisoned now?"

"No, yes, and not yet."

"what do you mean with not yet?"

"That I'm still trying to decide if I should test if it is toxic."

"oh no, you're not gonna find out." 

"But what if I could work a good antidote out of it?"

"by poisoning yourself?!"

"It is literally in my job description, relax." Ugh, you couldn't focus on the little fungi like that. "Can you bring the others here? This is the dark zone of the cave, and" you waited a bit until you felt Sans come back with the others "if there is an exit, we must be halfways from it... probably."

"edge! tell her something!"

"ARE YOU OKAY, SANS?"

"yes! no!" You got up and took your clippers some vials, bottles, pouches, a scalpel and your trusty tongs "she wants to poison herself!"

"WHAT?! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE, WHY WOULD SHE DO THAT?" Next, you put on your gloves, mask, and glasses. 

"Stretch? Can you help me make a spore print of this?" you turned around "I forgot to tie my hair back up and I want to keep the gloves dry."

"SIGH, I'LL DO IT. YOU HELP HER SETTING THINGS UP." Edge starts brushing your hair and you relaxed, the action was so comforting.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS? YOU SHOULD BE STOPPING HER."

"will you only make prints and take samples or will you experiment a bit?" 

"Uh... I think only prints and samples. There are button mushrooms, they go nicely with fish." 

"why are you helping her?!"

"BECAUSE SHE KNOWS WHAT SHE'S DOING."

"and she isn't going to do the edibility test for now."

You started humming and pulling the mysterious fungi. You wouldn't let it get away without finding all you could about it.

"PAPY, AREN'T YOU WORRIED?"

"no."

"BACK AT THE DYNASTY WE HELPED HER WITH THE GATHERING OF INGREDIENTS, THE PROCESSING, THEN WE MADE DIFFERENT PREPARATIONS AND FINALLY DELIVERED IT TO THE GOLIATHS."

"yeah, only that he only delivered them."

"And got the ingredients, brought supplies, and kept track of what people needed." The two of them helped more than you could ever think about.

"JUST DON'T INTERFERE WITH THIS."

"yeah, she is happy doing this." Damn right, you felt incredible.

...

For the next hour, or maybe next couple of hours, you worked taking prints of every sample of mushrooms. Edge helped taking notes and you promised to draw on it later. Stretch, helped with the samples of the magic mushroom. He knew how to handle it. He told you the principles of gathering magic mushrooms. Sans contributed a bit on it too, making clear that it wasn't his area of expertise.

Once you finished using your apothecary tools, you cleaned them and put them back in your backpack. All except for the tongs and clippers. With them, you started harvesting some button mushrooms.

They would last nicely for a couple of days. Some fish and herbs and... you would have mostly the same menu as your whole time traveling.

At least the fish and the mushrooms were different.

* * *

**Athana 7th** **, Year 324 A.11.**

**Entry Number 120:**

After five days without making an entry, I can finally make a status update.

The "party" (I need to request a change on the term) has been trapped under this mountain for a total of 10 days. We started looking for an exit 7 days since Lady Y/N woke up. 

She showed improvement but still wasn't at her best. Even when I was warned about her condition before anything happened, I have to admit it ~~caught me off guard~~ irritated me each time. The keywords provided by Dame Manthe and the stories I learned from Sir Eggath have been extremely helpful. She hasn't lashed out, but her reactions are not the same each time.

Watching her in that weak state ~~worries me deeply,~~ sickens me. ~~She was the one guiding us~~ Thanks to my great capabilities we have been able to pull through this situation. I ~~like~~ ~~feel at peace~~ am obliged to ~~rest next to her~~ keep guard while she slumbers. I agreed to "rest" the first day she woke up. The next time, I refused to leave my duties as the ~~temporary~~ leader of our group. 

To my ~~surprise~~ disgust, I found those insufferable siblings canoodling her, lazing around. I couldn't tolerate this vulgar behavior, so I pulled them away and left them sleeping over the laziest array of bones around.

Thankfully, after today's events, the situation seems to be over.

After our morning routine, we moved forward. Lady Y/N still wasn't on the right condition to walk all the time. Her mindstate affected her body immensely. I let her move on her own, but most of the time was easier to carry her on my arms. She thanked me each time for what I did, and she was absolutely right to do so. The honor of being treated this way is something she will never experience again after we are out.

The following hours weren't of importance, the cave looked pretty much the same as the other days. At least it did until we saw the cliff in front of us, the river disappearing inside the wall. None of us could see the other side of our path. And that's when she talked.

"We have to walk around, using the walls of the cave."

Immediately, we called her out on ~~how risky~~ how stupid her idea was. ~~But her expression made my soul~~ The Blue Pest used one of his spells, his divinity, Un'Jah, was the deity of clairvoyance, so he decided to check if it was a good idea to follow Lady Y/N's plan. Apparently, it was a successful plan according to a deck of cards, so he started preparing everyone for it. Sans was the only one that hesitated with this plan. I was up for the challenge.

Binding us all together she decided to be the one at the front, claiming her previous experiences climbing the mountain walls at the Dynasty. And when she started, ~~I couldn't help but admire her~~ I had to admit she did a decent job. However, the others didn't seem to be able to keep up with us, and we had to stop several times. I ~~worried~~ thought she would collapse at any moment during our endeavor, but she kept going. ~~Even then, she never ceases to amaze me.~~

Once we reached the other side, she collapsed on the ground shaking like a ~~lamb~~ coward. I stayed by her side until she composed herself and finally fell asleep.

And then, we made a discovery that changed everything. Monsterkind could see in the dark, so we didn't notice a difference in the lighting until she stirred herself awake, and noticed the animals on the cave ceiling. Gross rodent looking flying creatures. 

And since she is one to always do the unexpected, she got their attention. It was worth seeing the horrified looks on the other skeletons. Lady Y/N just kept talking to it as if they could understand each other. 

The moment she started following it, I understood that she actually could. We ran after her and the flying pest, and for someone so short, she was fast. Still, she was no match for my speed. The ecstatic squeal of joy she gave when she found the giant hole in the ceiling, basking her face in the sunlight, it made all the rush and the past days worth every effort.

Her kind voice was back. Not the fragile one, her firm tone that got us to agree with what she told without insults and just the minimum effort. Her posture changed, she moved around like she owned the place once more. That was Merxis' Pixie Maiden, an immovable force of nature.

She decided to climb only with the lazy comedian, not wanting to waste a second more inside the cave. 

The moment they started climbing, I regretted letting them be the ones to do it. I didn't care if they would make us teleport, their seemingly infinite amount of puns was enough for me to want to climb enraged just to make them stop.

I decided to take the first two watches. Just for tonight, I would let her rest.

Tomorrow, we go back to our previous routine.

Entry Number 17 and Entry Number 105, have been updated.

* * *

You woke up, right before sunrise as always.

Isn't that nice? The moment where you get to see the last stars disappear, the clouds and skies go through different colors to finally feel the sun kissing on your skin and warming you up slowly.

After days and days of feeling my head pumping, the dizziness, the sweating, the pressure of your chest that didn't let you breathe, and so many other feelings that you just don't want to relive anymore, you finally felt good. Not okay, not good enough. Good, and you were about to show it.

You started your usual morning routine. Leaving on your own, washing, foraging, building a fire, starting breakfast. Today, you found some chestnuts, hazelnuts, sweet potatoes, and apples, autumn delicacies that would feed you and that you could carry for at least a week around.

Of course, you weren't going to make something complicated, so you decided to roast all the things you found. You missed the look of the more energetic skeletons were giving you.

"GOOD MORNING, MAIDEN." Blue sat next to you.

"Good morning, Mr. Blue Sky! Was your sleep as magnificent as you?" he certainly looked adorable sputtering.

"I SEE YOU ARE FINALLY BACK TO YOUR REGULAR SELF." The second voice made you turn around on your seat, the blushing blue monster left processing your question.

"You!" You say approaching slowly to Edge, the look on his skull was one of confusion at your firm steps "You incredibly wonderful skeleton!" You hugged him, tight and even managed to lift him from the ground for a moment.

"I can't thank you enough for everything you did, what you did means a lot to me" you touch his cheekbones and you almost swear you can feel him rest the side of his skull in your palm. "You are like the sibling I never had."

"WHAT?" 

"You are like the brother I never had!" You smiled at him and took his hand, your voice softer "If my parents chose you to take care of me and to tell you... everything, that means they consider you a member of our family, Edge."

"..."

"Would that make you my twin or my little brother? We are the same age after all."

"HEH..."

You turned around and found the cleric's shoulders shaking, his face to the ground.

"MWEHEHEHEH HEHEH HEH" 

"What's so funny, Blueberry?" Did you miss a joke? You looked around and saw that both Sans and Stretch were still sleeping. 

"N- NOTHING, MAIDEN, I JUST REMEMBERED AN HILARIOUS JOKE" for a moment, you felt like he wasn't staring at you, "I THINK YOUR ROAST SHOULD BE READY."

"Oh, sweet Merxis! The roast!"

You went back to cook, ignoring the fuming skeleton you left behind for a moment.

None of you noticed, the grins on both of the pranksters widen a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! THEY ARE OUT THAT BLASTED CAVE AND IT ONLY TOOK ME LIKE... MANY WORDS, I DIDN'T COUNT LOL!
> 
> Next Chapter, The Golden Peninsula of Merry Tale, the Thirsty.
> 
> The end of what I call "The Abristan Arc" is approaching and I'm super excited about it. At the end of the arc, I will make two announcements, so, yup. I will take a "break."
> 
> Not really, you will probably find a chapter the same week anyway lol. 
> 
> If it wasn't because I need to do human stuff I would just stay in my room writing this story.
> 
> Now, a little trivia on this chapter:
> 
> \- Stretch called Edge, Ultimate Opportunist as a reference to the Canadian pro wrestler of the same name. He knows about him because he spent a long time reading about everything he could when he got to the surface. 
> 
> \- Edge called Stretch Insufferable Tank Engine knowing perfectly about Thomas the Tank Engine. He will deny it fervently.
> 
> \- Pixie aka Reader gets more music references than other media since music is heard almost everywhere.
> 
> Laterz~


	14. Victorious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Athana 31st.
> 
> The party arrives at The Golden Peninsula of Merry Tale, the Thirsty.
> 
> The plan is to rest, trade, and leave the continent.
> 
> Being robbed, falling into a trap, and getting kidnapped was not part of the plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There have been many chapters that I looked forward to writing and this is one of them. It is finally time to introduce... dun dun dun!
> 
> This chapter was inspired by the song Victorious by Panic at the Disco.

A loud whistle accompanied by a "WOWZERS" makes you smile. You are finally able to see all the details of the huge walls in front of you.

Golden sandy bricks, carefully positioned, not a single one looks out of place. The giant golden coin in the door has the face of a Tabaxi on it,

Over the walls, you can see golems walking from side to side and a handful of human soldiers lazing on top of it, one of them is holding his helmet and hitting it with a spear trying to make music. The sigh Stretch gives at the sight makes him shake his skull in disappointment. The attitude of the sentinels earns them a disapproving grunt from the paladin. If they were under his command, they wouldn't be playing around. Blue's awe at the infrastructure and seeing a city for the first time in his travels makes him shake in emotion and seeing that there are humans it gives him the hope of making new friends.

Sans studies the golems, hoping to find a trace of a SOUL in them. 

The walls only remind you of... a giant sandcastle. You aren't paying attention to the details, you don't even stop to think about what you could be missing. Right now, you are a woman with a mission, your objectives are clear.

A warm bath.

A bed to sleep.

Nothing else.

You'll have time for some sightseeing later.

"Traveler group! Come on, everyone back to your posts!" You finally look up and pay attention to the humans at the top. You have... conflicted emotions about it. It has been over a decade since you saw another human. "Wait a minute... Necromancer, stop!" The guard that acted as a leader shouted, was he talking to you? "Bua! Nim! It's your business to deal with magic visitors."

A part of the wall slides open and you can see a golem stepping out of it, carrying a human girl in his palm with the same care one would use to carry a baby bird, "We are already down here, Fred! Stop acting as the commander!"

"I'm your older cousin, and have been working here longer than you." 

"For a week! We still have the same rank." She lifts her gauntlet, a metallic brown piece. The golem brings her in front of you and she blushes "Uh... oh... Hi, nice face person!" the golem puts his other hand separating both of you "Sly Merry, sorry." You turn around mouthing a 'what's going on?' the skeletons behind you just shrug.

"Okay! I can do this!" the golem moves once again and you tilt your head at the girl, who is still blushing. "Welcome to The Golden Peninsula, my name is Bua. Please state your business, Necromancer."

"My group and I want to rest, trade, restock on our supplies, and then we will make our way to Othein." Yup, you went immediately into business mode. "Don't worry, I got the group permit and we have it sealed."

She smiles "Of course... but uh, you have to use the individual permit. Undead servants, golems, any kind of summoning really, they don't count as individuals" she giggles a bit as if the thought of considering them that way was funny. Of course, the first human you see in ages has to make a bad impression. Great. "How awful of the administration at the city for not informing you that, but don't worry, we will send a message to them and we can get it sorted out." She holds your hand "I will see this that justice is done. I'm really sorry about how the Tabaxi treated you, Lady Necromancer."

"Thanks, but that won't be necessary," you pull your hand away slowly, your voice had an authoritative tone now, not the kind one meant for business. This was the tone of the Goliath you were "The only thing you should be apologizing for is the way you talked to my friends."

"SHE IS NO NECROMANCER, GUARD BUA" Blue puts an arm around you.

"MIND HOW YOU SPEAK ABOUT OTHERS, HUMAN. AND MORE IN FRONT OF THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD." He looks around. "THE LACK OF A COMPETENT AUTHORITY AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE CITY IS INTOLERABLE. HOW CAN YOU NOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SKELETON MONSTERS AND REGULAR SKELETONS?"

"relax, edge," Did Stretch just used his name? "i'm s u r e the human didn't know better."

"IT IS JUST AS MY BROTHER SAYS! SHE DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS BEING RUDE."

"sorry, kiddo. we just didn't expect someone to heh, treat us t h i s way."

Your team wasn't in the best mood knowing she was the only one standing in the way to get some rest. And, personally, you wouldn't tolerate someone talking about them that way. That way of thinking was the one that sent humanity to their doom because their creations turned against them. You wouldn't be surprised if her golem turned against her.

"Did you ever hear about the story of Merxis, the Insignificant?" you question her.

She blinks, looking at every skeleton until she reaches your gaze "Yes, of course, one of The Eleven Deviants" you nodded.

"Be careful, you are fast to judge on appearances. In The Obsidian Dynasty, we aren't used to that kind of behavior anymore."

"I... I'm sorry, it was my mistake."

You smile, it was not necessary to keep going "It's okay. Just let it serve you as a lesson. Next time, just ask for business and occupation."

"Yes, ma'am," she made her way back to the open spot at the wall, sliding it back to its original position. If you didn't see it move before, you wouldn't be able to tell it was there in the first place.

The gate opens and you can hear Bua's voice "You have the authorization to enter to The Golden Peninsula."

"Thank you, Bua" you speak as loudly as you can, hopefully, she would hear you.

You cross the main gate, then a portcullis, and finally a drawbridge. The salty smell of the seawater flowing under it is new for you.

"UGH..." you see the cleric pull closer to you. You forgot about his arm over your shoulder.

"What is it, Blue?"

"WELL MAIDEN, AS YOU ALREADY KNOW, THE SEA AND I HAVE A LONG STORY. ONE I DON'T WANT TO REPEAT!"

"Oh... That's right..." You sighed "I wanted to go on a boat ride with everyone."

"EH? WE CAN STILL DO THAT, MAIDEN." 

"Blue, you are so nice, but I wouldn't enjoy the ride if I knew you weren't having fun," you pat his gloved bones "we can find something to do together later, okay?"

"OH! I KNOW WHAT I WANT TO DO LATER!" He whispers in your ear "IT WILL BE A SECRET FOR THE TWO OF US, MAIDEN."

"What about the others?" You ask with your normal volume.

"EXACTLY, BLUE," Blue's arm is gone "WHAT ABOUT US?"

You laugh at the sight of the other three skeletons surrounding Blue. Lately, they have been a bit nicer and playful towards each other. It makes you happy to see them get along. Looking around, and leaving the boys to their shenanigans, you started walking again, trying to find the inn. You admire how diverse are the people of Merry. There are some Tabaxi, Dragonborns, Gnomes, you even see an elf and a dwarf or two. You were debating who you could ask for directions when someone slammed into you.

Being used to Goliath children running towards you all the time, you didn't move much, so the figure was falling on their back. Quickly, you grabbed their arm and helped them regain their balance before they kept falling. Once on their feet, you looked all over them to check if they were okay. Their clothes were black, deep red high-heeled boots, that sort of reminded you of the ones Edge was wearing, but the heels on them were lower.

"Are you okay?" You knew they looked okay, but there was nothing wrong with asking. That's when you finally saw under their carmine hood for the first time. They were wearing an ivory mask. You had the feeling you saw something similar to it before, you couldn't recall when. The right eye of the mask was completely covered, the golden line imitating a closed eye, with a line going up, as a scar, maybe? The other eye was visible, another line-scar going down in the opposite direction, you couldn't tell if the smile on it was sinister or friendly. 

You decided on the latter.

Your gazes met, and the masked figure pulled their arm away from your grasp swiftly. They nodded, your question finally answered. Their next movement was to hold your chin with their gloved hand delicate but firm, turning it one side then to the other. 

This was the first time a stranger studied you this way without saying a word. You weren't scared, just wondering what they were doing, in fact, you were curious. Then they released your face and held your hand, your palm towards them and they held it to the mask's mouth. Then, with a wave, they walked passed you, going away. You turned around at the unconventional stranger, just in time to see their shoulder collide against Blue's. 

"I'M SO SORRY, ARE YOU OKAY?"

The masked-person ignored him and just kept walking away.

"did you know them, honey?" Stretch approached you.

"No?" you tilted your head, still looking in the direction the stranger left, "But they certainly got my weirdest interaction award."

The wizard got on your other side "how come?"

"I'll tell you at the inn..."

* * *

"YOU SHOULD NOT LET STRANGERS APPROACH YOU LIKE THAT," Edge scolded you, leaving his wine with a tap over the table, "AND LESS TOUCH YOU."

"Well, it was weird, but it isn't like I got hurt or anything," he surely was just overthinking things. Then you frowned a bit, thinking again. The last time you thought that you actually got attacked but one of the groups he named.

"AS STRANGE AS IT MAY SOUND, I'M WITH STRETCH ON THIS ONE." Every skull on the table turned towards the cleric, "WHEN THAT MASKED-PERSON AND I COLLIDED, I GOT THIS." And from under his bandana, Blueberry pulled a parchment tied with a copper thread, Your Othein Travel Permit. 

"What? How did you get that? I had it on my-" You look at the cylindrical pouch on your belt and found it open. "Wait, don't tell me-"

"I NOTICED IT WHEN THEY GOT AWAY FROM YOU, I RECOGNIZED IT AS THE ONE YOU SHOWED US TO SIGN AND TOOK IT FROM THEM." 

"weren't you a member of the royal guard?"

"my bro is living a life of crime now, i don't know how should i feel."

"you stole the words from me, stretch."

"DON'T YOU START, PAINFUL ATTEMPT AT STAND-UP." He took his cup and drank one slow sip, frowning at you.

"Okay, okay. You were right, Edge" sighing, you lifted your tankard and shook your head "I should get a shirt that has it written to remember to hear your advice."

"AS LONG AS I AM HERE, YOU WON'T NEED IT ANYTIME SOON," then he smirked at you "ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU NEED ALL THE HELP YOU CAN GET, OBLIVIOUS PIXIE."

"What? I'm not oblivious, Edge!" and as you placed your beer on the table you asked, "Right, guys?"

"..."

"What's with that reaction?!" you looked at Stretch, who mysteriously chose this moment to daydream. Sans casually chose that moment to nap on the table. Which left... 

"OH! I'M GOING TO ASK FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF DRINKS!" It only left the paladin.

"Am I really that oblivious, Edgey?" you were feeling a bit embarrassed. You knew why the others avoided replying.

"YOU ARE," he looked pensive towards the other side of the inn's tavern "BUT WE ARE USED TO YOU BEING LIKE THAT ALREADY." 

"SOMEONE WILL BRING US THE NEXT ROUND." With this interruption, Edge just proceeded to serve himself another cup of wine.

"I just wish they had some mead." 

"WILL YOU BE OKAY WITH ANOTHER ROUND, MAIDEN?" 

"Pfft, of course! I've been drinking for ages."

* * *

Your teammates didn't look okay. 

They were literally spinning around the room and getting double! And they didn't invite you, so you had to do the same without getting up from your seat. Twirling around with no one to ask you to would be embarrassing!

"Edgeyyyyyy! You-" you held the table to keep Edge from moving, "you understand?"

"..." 

"Exactly! So... you can swing and, and sway. But no spinny turning." The sound of slamming on the table, made both of you jump.

"YOU HEARD MY MAIDEN!" Hahah, the healer is supporting you.

"Yeah!" Now you are the healer.

"YEEEAH!" the skeleton tries to lie on your shoulder, but you had a spark of genius so... you picked him up.

And sat on Edge's lap with Blue on yours.

"There!" You shout happily, the blue blob on the table looks at you. "Look blurry blue on the table!" You pass your arm around Edge's neck and hug Blueberry closer to you "He does the twirly spinny swinging swaying with me," and you nuzzle "Blue Beard the skeleton!"

"uh, stretch?"

"NOOO!" "What's wrong with you?" "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Your chorus of protests earned you the views of a few patrons. But you are no warlock so it doesn't matter.

"Don't wake Egg, the Forbidden!"

"YOU SAID HIS NAME, MILADY" the paladin gets up, and lifts you on his shoulder, taking the wine bottle "I'LL TERRIBLE THE EDGE," he looks at you "GREAT!"

"okay, you all had way too much to drink." There was never enough to drink. Because the beer ran out.

The dreadful sound of bones on the ukulele is heard.

"HE'S GONNA HATCH!" Blue Beard takes his beard off and puts it over his eyes. Clever bastard.

"nyeheheh... nyeheheheh!" The Egg is on the table, and he's looking at you.

"stretch! get off the table!" 

And he runs and you feel him tangle himself around the three of you, and discordant sounds start coming out the instrument that was now on your skelebrother's back.

You saw strawberry juice sliding down your neck.

"I FAILED YOUR DAD," what?

"Nonononono, you didn't!"

"BUT I WANTED TO BE YOUR SOUL-"

"okay, enough! papyrus! go to your room!"

"the blue blur has spoken."

"All follow the will of the blur! Let's go, my lovely mead!"

"AM I YOUR MEAD?"

"Naaaaah, you're Blue Beard!"

"then who is the mead?"

"I dunno, he asked me if he could be the mead, but I said 'follow your dreams! but polymorphing like that is a noooo.'"

Falling into the fluff and being trapped under a massive and comfy ball of warmth, you fell asleep.

* * *

**???'s PoV**

Today is finally the time I will be able to leave this cursed town. I wasted more than enough time already. 

I jumped off the roof, grabbed the window frame, and with a backflip I landed crouching on the floor. And there she was.

The Necromancer, in the middle of her undead servants, reeking of some alcoholic beverage. So much potential, completely wasted. Like her at this moment.

Still, there was... something about her. Was it her fast reflexes? Her kindness? Her trained body and graceful features? Or maybe the way she moved around with a noble but approachable aura surrounding her?

Whatever it was, I want it. I want **her.**

For now, that would have to wait. I needed to reach Othein and reunite with him. Thankfully, she had all I could ever look for from someone. 

That included an Othein Traveling Permit.

I find it on the same leather pouch from before, and I frown at the skeleton with the blue bandana. Such a weak color. But I had to admit, her servants were skilled enough to steal from me.

I smirk and walk to the window. My mission here was complete. And without this, the lovely human won't have a choice but to stay. That's good. In this way, I can come back and finally get her to myself. To ourselves.

"what're you doin'?" I look over my shoulder and find the last skeleton. I just waved to them goodbye and jumped off the window. And I start running, but the skeleton teleports in front of me, blocking my path. 

Grave mistake. I dash in front of him and get around him, feeling my fist connect with his spine.

I get in front of him, and his eyes widen, probably recognizing the mask his master and his companion saw before. Stunned the only thing he could do was watch as I went away.

To my hideout.

...

This had to be a joke!

A group permit?!

Golems, skeletons, homunculi! They are not considered individuals by these rotten humans and every wizard, artificer and the like knew that. How could her, a Necromancer and a Human not know about that!

I start reading the signatures and there are three that get my attention.

'Lady Y/N Truthheart. Merxis' Pixie Maiden.' The family seal was made of different swirls. The pattern told a story, but I couldn't tell what exactly.

'Edge Elsner F. Truthheart's family Protégé. Captain of the Obsidian Guard." The Truthheart family must be important. Did her parents give the title to one of her skeletons or did she travel with someone else? Was Elsner a common name on this land?

The last name that caught my attention turned any of my thoughts upside down, and a new plan formed in my mind.

'Comic Sans Serif Gaster of Snowdin. Scholar and Jokester.'

* * *

You woke up, with your head pouncing a bit, and startled. You felt the weight on your chest move around, pressing firmly against you. Looking down, you saw Blueberry sleeping over your bosom. Yup, you knew the feeling of wanting to press your head against whatever was at your reach because of a bad hangover. So you decided to just let him rest. You had no intention to get up yet. 

Turning your head to the right, you found a comfortable spot. One that you got acquainted with during the hard time traveling underground. You nuzzled closer to Edge's neck and thought that maybe getting your left arm under him would be more comfortable, so you tried to move it.

Only to find you couldn't.

You breathed in sharply and looked in that direction. Stretch was embracing his brother's and your arm. And he was using Edge's like a pillow. You relaxed again. Feeling restrained always made you worry a bit, but with them, it was okay. You knew they wouldn't harm you and if they ever held you against your will, it wouldn't be to harm you. You trusted them.

No one would ever know a feeling of safety like the one you had in this big pile of bones.

You smiled and started getting comfortable again, sleeping a bit more wouldn't hurt anyone.

Wait. You counted three skeletons. You were short one skeleton who was sleeping over the table while the rest of you were drinking.

You poked Blueberry's cheek. You can't still get over how squishy his cheeks were. 

"Blue, wake up" he stirs a bit over you and looks up, and gives you a lopsided smile with an expression you haven't seen before from him.

"MORNING Y/N" his voice came lower, the words almost in a soft purr.

"Good morning, Mr. Blue Sky" you beam at him "I need you to get up."

"UP?" He looks around and finally takes his surroundings and the position you all are in, and tries to stand up jumping off the bed.

Edge immediately woke up, sitting and holding you by the waist tightly. His solid grasp avoided that you got pulled with the siblings down to the ground.

"ouch... bro? why did you do that?" 

"I'M SO SORRY PAPY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO IT IS JUST..." he looks at you and blushes. "I GOTTA GO, SORRY!"

"WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT VULGAR PEST?"

"I don't know..." you tapped his arm "Edge, I need you to let me go, please." The arm slipped off your waist and both of you got up. "Thank you!" And you ran off the room.

You checked the room next door. You got the last two rooms last night, both with two beds. Edge was happy with that arrangement and claimed the other bed in what he called your room. It would make his job of protecting you simpler and he could avoid an ambush.

Inside the room, you found Sans. The jokester was sleeping with his face down on one of the beds. That was nice. You went back to your room for your toiletries and to get ready for the day.

"Uh... Princess? What are you still doing on the floor?"

"your knight refused to lift me, my honey prince," you shook your head giggling and helped him to get up.

"Of course he will refuse, your highness, it is my duty as your Honey Prince to aid you, princess," You say bowing playfully.

"YOUR DUTY IS TO GET READY FOR THE DAY! THERE IS A LOT WE NEED TO DO, AND WE ARE BEHIND OUR SCHEDULE!" You gasp.

"Oh, sweet Merxis! You are right! I totally forgot!" Grabbing your things, you stopped at the doorframe, and went to your backpack, pulling your notepad and pen out, writing in two different pieces of paper, "Edge, I need you to get me these supplies, you know the quality of the material, there is money on my backpack, take some for you and give the other amount to Stretch" you handed each of them one list "Because he needs to get me other ingredients, okay? We will meet right here. I will get my things ready to work while I wait for Sans to wake up and Blue to come back from wherever he ran off to."

"sigh, betrayed by my honey prince."

"Oh, don't blame me. Blame, my knight." You skip around him and wave at them "See you for breakfast, afterward, we have lots of work to do!"

* * *

**Blue's PoV**

I can't believe it. She is going to be so mad once I get back.

"SIGH." Good job Sans, now she will think you are some kind of... pervert. And now that I ran away, it will be worst, because she will think I ran because I did something bad, which isn't true. After all, it felt so good!

No! What I mean is that it felt right.

Not that either!

No, no, waking up in the morning and her being the first face I saw was what felt right.

Her sleepy smile, her soft touch on my skull and the sweet tone of her voice, and the soft blush her face held. The soft pink tint that intensified at something I said.

I just need to calm down, keep it cool. Y/N wasn't mad at me, or else she would have said that. She was too honest with her feelings, I would've noticed if she was mad. And she could've pushed me away. But she didn't.

"SHE DIDN'T" I stood up and the brooms and buckets fell on top of me.

But it didn't matter, because she didn't push me away. And that could only mean she didn't mind I hugged her like that now. I just needed to find out if she would mind in the future... Oh!

I have a way to know.

I sat down, with my legs crossed, cupping the locket in my hands and looking at it before closing them around it.

_"UN'JAH? ARE YOU THERE?"_ I huffed. It was over a month since we last talked. _"UN'JAH, WAKE UP YOU LAZYGOD!"_

_"What the-?! Sans?"_

_"WHO ELSE WOULD WAKE YOU UP?"_

_"My mom?"_

_"... I'LL IGNORE THAT."_ That's the god of laziness for you. _"I NEED YOUR HELP, ADVICE TO BE HONEST. I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT SOMETHING-"_

_"More like someone, Blue Beard~"_

_"WHO IS BLUE BEARD?"_

_"I have no idea! But Y/N, your sweetest Maiden, may know~"_ He sang it softly, my skull felt warm _"Don't worry about it"_ His usual playful tone was gone, _"Sansy, you need to go look for your Maiden, now!"_ The urgency of his words put me off a bit.

_"WHAT? BUT I HAVEN'T ASKED YOU ANYTHING YET!"_

_"Just move, Sans! Or my mother and her champion will kill us both!"_

_"WAIT!"_

_"Follow the flowers and **g** **o!** "_

I opened my eyes abruptly, the locket was shining brightly. And before I could process what was happening, I stumbled out of the supply closet, falling to the ground, the impact wasn't enough to reduce my temporary HP. So I got up and ran to her room.

It was empty, the window was closed. Her tools were in the ground, one still halfway out of one of the compartments. Her crossbow was on the ground, in front of the window.

That was... weird. Did she leave in a rush?

I went to the other room and found Sans sleeping.

"SANS! YOU LAZYBONES! WAKE UP, RIGHT THIS INSTANT."

"woah, blue," the wizard looked at me and smiled "you scared me out of my skin"

"MWEHEHEH, GOOD ONE."

"uh-huh" sitting on the bed, he looked around "so... where's the fire?"

"OH, I JUST GOT BACK AND I COULDN'T FIND ANYONE. DO YOU KNOW IF MY BROTHER OR EDGE ARE WITH THE MAIDEN?"

"no?" he looked to his feet and held his skull, which was weird, I don't remember him drinking with us to get a hangover. Then he lifted his head, getting his hand on his nape "blue, do you know where the others are?"

"NO, THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING!"

"we need to go!"

* * *

**An hour earlier, after breakfast with the Papyri.**

You weren't in your room when the dagger struck your window frame. So, of course, you weren't surprised by it.

What surprised you was the presence of the masked person in your room pulling it off the frame. 

You immediately let your instincts take over you and ran towards them. The supplies that you didn't get back inside of your backpack were still on the ground. You slid on the floor and grabbed your crossbow, shooting the bolt you kept ready at all times. But the cloaked figure caught it on their hands.

You tried to move since they had the advantage, but while trying to get some distance, the figure took the chance to attack, you took one blow after the other, none of them too strong. You had way worst training with your dad before breakfast. But their technique was precise, and you found out your body had been immobilized. It was as if your whole body was stunned. It was fine. There was no need to despair. You had a way out. Looking at your belt, you could see your component pouch. It worked to relax you. As long as you had it, no one would be able to trap you.

The cloaked figure walked, taking your crossbow away from you, and grabbing your wire. They tensed it on their hand and started tying you up. Now reaching your component pouch would take you some time, awesome. Then they pulled you up to their shoulder. Once they confirmed their grip was okay. They got out the window, closing it and climbing to the roof of the inn. 

Unbeknownst to them, you started regaining your senses. You didn't know where in the freaking peninsula they were getting you, or what their intentions were. Maybe it was getting your Othein Traveling Permit again. Whatever the case was, you kept your eyes on the ground, whispering and moving your hands, seeing the closed buds of cornflowers open at your words. 

You could only hope your father's protégé could remember you were able to do that.

It was tedious, you liked it, but repeating the process over and over as fast as you could, made it tiring. And you still needed to know where they were taking you. So you decided to take a chance and make some small talk every time there were no flowers to make grow.

"So... may I know why you are doing this?"

"..."

"What happened? Cat got your tongue?"

"..."

"Can I at least get your name?"

"..."

"Can you talk or is it the mask that doesn't let you?"

"..."

"Ivoryone would love to have one." They tumbled a bit. Hmmm. That's the biggest reaction you got so far. "You know, it was pretty gold of you to kidnap someone." A little look over their shoulder and they kept running "I have to admit, it takes guts to do something like that." Their shoulders were shaking. "If I hood a piece of gold for every pun I've heard or made the past months, I would be rich."

You heard laughter filtering from the mask. Not too loud. It was as if they tried to take it out in small amounts so that you couldn't hear them.

"So... how's life here in the puninsula?"

And that earned you a peal of full laughter. A smokey purple and red light came out from their face, and they landed at the entrance of some sewers, their laughter still coming out in small amounts. 

They ran inside and went towards the same direction they came from, only that underground. Faint light illuminated your face from different places. You noticed bits and pieces of different golems, piles of bones, and the stench of rotten corpses. It was sickening. It made you want to throw up, the feeling of the bile rising your throat was awful, but you managed to keep it down. At least enough to make some leaves from the ivies sprout. With one last turn, you saw the stranger walk up one of the ramps.

You were now behind a building. In fact, behind four buildings. Whoever approved this design for this part of the town needs to be fired. None of the buildings could use this not so empty lot because it belonged to the four of them. And it would have been such a nice spot for a garden. Or it could be.

The masked person finally puts you down, over a cushion. The lot had all the commodities a house should have. Minus the ceiling. You kind of liked it, at any moment, the sun would be over you two and then the whole place would light up. 

The cloaked figure sat on a fancy looking chair, the white fabric and the gold wood highlighted their distinguished presence. Their posture was straight, one leg resting over the other.

"STATE YOUR NAME AND BUSINESS, HUMAN."

"Y/N Truthheart, apothecary. Physically human, Goliath at heart."

"GOLIATH?"

"Really strong, disciplined with the kindest and most accepting hearts in all of Abristan. I come from The Obsidian Dynasty of Merxis, the Insignificant, land of Goliaths."

"I DID NOT ASK YOU THAT."

"I like sharing about my hometown, it is a nice place."

"JUST ANSWER WHAT I ASK!" You just roll your eyes. He pulls from under his cloak a parchment you recognize, "WHO IS THIS COMIC SANS SERIF GASTER?"

"My friend."

"WHERE DID YOUR FRIEND COME FROM?"

"Well..." you had to think of something to avoid giving information about Sans, you bite your lip and release it saying "I don't know?" Why did you never ask that question before?

"WHAT?"

"I don't know where skeletons come from."

"HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW IF YOU TRAVEL WITH THEM?!"

"Not knowing!" you huff "They could come out from an egg for all I know! I just know that most humanoid skeletons are developed during gestation and they are covered by skin and muscles."

"HUMANS HAVE SKELETONS INSIDE THEM?"

"Yes? You didn't know?"

"THEN ALL THOSE BONES IN THE SEWERS..."

"Probably humanoid. There... could be dwarf or elf bones maybe."

"..."

"Let's change topics, okay?" Now it was your chance. "So... why did you kidnap me and why are you interested in Sans?"

"I NEED ANSWERS AND YOU HAVE THEM, HUMAN!"

"And you had to kidnap me for...?"

"SO YOU WOULD NOT ESCAPE WHILE I INTERROGATED YOU."

"You know, people usually greet each other and talk."

"DO NOT QUESTION MY METHODS." The purple and red glow from before appeared again.

"If I promised not to leave, would you untie me at least?" You wouldn't leave unless you had information about why they were looking for Sans.

"WHY WOULD I BELIEVE IN THE WORD OF THE LIKES OF YOU?"

"Because those are the morals of my people, the Goliaths. We keep our word." You look at him firmly. "We can antagonize each other or we can make this easy for both of us."

"MWAHAHAHAH!" His villainous laughter surprised you. "I KNEW IT!" They walked towards you and untied the wire. You immediately grabbed it and started rolling it up. "I KNEW THERE WAS A REASON I LIKED YOU, MERXIS' MAIDEN."

"Huh?"

They took off the mask and when you looked at him, you could comprehend more things. One of them was that you were safe.

"I AM THE MALEFICENT SANS," he grabbed your hand, pulling you up from the cushion, and grabbing your waist "AND YOU BELONG TO ME NOW."

Or maybe you weren't that safe.

* * *

**Edge's PoV**

This task lasted far longer than it normally should.

It took me over an hour to convince the human at the shop that I was sentient, that I didn't serve any master, and to let me purchase the supplies I requested.

And now that I am finally out, I find that trio of clowns bouncing around, bothering the people. I can't rest a single day from these buffoons. I stride towards each of them, grabbing them one by one and pulling them into an alley. 

"EDGE! YOU-" "last night-" "i found them running-"

"STOP." Just one simple command, easy to follow.

"then i teleported to stop them!" "THEN UN'JAH SAID-" "we can't stay here we got-"

"SILENCE."

But no, they continued talking at the same time. My patience was growing thin. I just want to deliver this, and stay by her side.

"STOP YOUR INCESSANT BLABBERING BECAUSE I CAN'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING YOU BONKERS SAY!" 

Finally.

"OVERGROWN ASHTRAY."

"i found them on their way here, i just got one thing clear, that she is missing and sans-" She.

"FAILED ATTEMPT AT STAND-UP?" 

"i found the cloaked figure in her room last night, they hit me, i couldn't move so i was resting to get HP and blue-" Is.

"VULGAR PEST?"

"UN'JAH TOLD ME TO LEAVE AND FOLLOW THE FLOWERS OR HIS MOM AND HER CHAMPION WOULD KILL US." Missing.

I walked to the main road and started looking for something different. I knew I wouldn't get a clue easily this way. Flowers. The only clue that sketchy deity left was flowers. I moved my hands and said a couple of words my master taught me for this occasion. 

And now, I could see magic, in a way different from what monsters could normally see. Usually, I could already feel it, but this showed me different colored auras emanating from people and things, and for a moment I wondered if it was too much.

But the moment I saw a trail of cornflowers radiating with a blue and green glow. I could tell immediately it was her. She left a clue.

A feeling of pride, relief, and tenacity filled my senses. I started running, the others followed close behind. The trail was long, far longer than I expected. And I would've run the whole way if it wasn't because I saw that a bunch of her magic came from the sewers. I stopped and walked towards it, ignoring the horror of what was present in the sewers.

The others, couldn't ignore it. They kept looking.

"-then dad was crying. But-"

I just grabbed the three idiots and pointed at the way the voice came from. My idea was to be stealthy, but the constant clinking sound of Blue's damned boots against stone was too loud.

"I ALREADY KNOW YOU ARE THERE, RAISE YOUR HANDS" the voice sounded a bit muffled for the next words "AND REVEAL YOURSELVES." An open invitation for a fight. Interesting. I would have considered them a worthy opponent if it wasn't because they had her. "I PROMISE OUR ENCOUNTER WILL NOT LAST."

"Hey, Black? Who is it?"

"WHO DO YOU THINK IT IS, YOU OBLIVIOUS CARELESS AND IMPRUDENT PIXIE?!" the clattering sound of porcelain, was heard and in swift steps, I finally saw her up the ramp. 

"You found me!" Of course, I would.

"WHO ELSE DO YOU THINK COULD FIND YOU? THESE THREE STOOGES?" I pull them up in front of me.

"HUH. SO THEY COULD ACTUALLY FIND US. DAMSEL TRUTHHEART, HOW DID THEY FIND MY HOUSE?" Damsel?

"Family secret." The masked person approached her, way too close.

"AND YOU ARE GOING TO TELL ME, THAT THEY KEEP ONE OF THE SECRETS OF YOUR FAMILY?"

"Oh no, not them," You giggle "Edge is part of my family, he is like a brother." Why did you have to say that again?! You get away from him and make your way here, taking my hand and Sans'.

"LET THE PEASANTS MAKE THEIR WAY HERE THEMSELVES. YOU SHOULDN'T ACQUAINT YOURSELF THAT WAY WITH THEM."

"PEASANT?" I know I heard correctly, my hearing was perfect after all.

"YES, PEASANT. DO YOU NEED ME TO SPELL IT OUT TO YOU?" 

"SAVE IT," I walk past him with the others, her hand still mine "IT IS NOT LIKE YOU WOULD KNOW HOW TO DO IT ANYWAYS."

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING MY SPELLING CAPABILITIES?" 

"I CAN'T QUESTION SOMETHING ABSENT."

"Come on you two! Stop it already! Or Egg the Forbidden will rise." What is she talking about?

"WHO IS EGG THE FORBIDDEN?" The masked person says.

"We shall not speak that name again if we want to be safe."

"nyeheh, right you are, honey." He should stop calling her that.

"HONEY? WHY IS THE VAGABOND CALLING YOU THAT?"

"Be respectful, Black, you shall not speak like that to her majesty the princess."

"HE? A PRINCESS?"

"yes, and she is my honey prince," Demolished Chimney approaches the Peasized Tyrant along with Sans, and both offer one of their hands.

"Black, just shake their hands, they are being nice." Did he just roll his eyes at her? I see him give a curt smile. And as he tries to grab their hands, he ends up clapping.

"nyeheh" "heheh" At least the japes are better than the puns.

"the old minor illusion of the hand trick," Their unison voice for that kind of thing is going to become a classical headache "it's a classic."

"BROTHER! SANS! DO NOT PRANK THE STRANGER AS SOON AS YOU MEET HIM!" It seems like the cleric finally recovered. "AND YOU EDGE HAVE TO BE NICER." He turns around and smiles widely.

"I AM THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE! IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU, EVEN AFTER YOU KIDNAPPED OUR DEAREST MAIDEN, MAKING US WORRY AND ALMOST ATTACK YOU."

"WAS THAT YOUR ATTEMPT AT HAVING GUTS?"

"MWEHEHEH" Blue just cleans an invisible tear "I DIDN'T KNOW YOU LIKED PUNS, BLACK." The stranger puts a hand over their mask and takes it off and discovers his face from the cloak.

"I DO NOT LIKE PUNS, AND I DO NOT TOLERATE WEAKLINGS." 

Another skeleton. And he looks like a Sans. Please don't tell me he will travel with us.

"But you laughed when I told you puns."

"I DID NOT SUCH THING, TRUTHHEART!"

"Oh, my Merxis!" She laughs "You sound like my mom."

"WHAT?"

"Did you hear him call me Truthheart? Truthheart is what she calls dad when she wants to get his attention about something."

I noticed that during all this time, she didn't release her hold in my hand. Why does she do that?

"when did you arrive?" Stretch asked important questions when he wasn't acting like a child. 

"ALMOST A YEAR AGO. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE ONE THAT HAS BEEN HERE THE LONGEST IS THE ONE YOU DECIDED TO CALL SANS."

"yeah, been looking for, my papyrus, for a year and three months." I just squint my eyes at that. If his HoPe is anything like my brother's...

"I FOUND MY BROTHER ALREADY. ABOUT TWO MONTHS AFTER I ARRIVED."

"where is he?"

"You didn't tell me you found him!"

"HE IS A FAMOUS PAINTER AT THE KINGDOM OF PAINT STROKE, A PLACE IN OTHEIN." He sighs, and I can only wonder why isn't he with his brother. "HERE IS THE THING. I NEED TO GO TO OTHEIN, AND YOU ARE GOING THERE. WE WILL GO TO THE OTHER CONTINENT TOGETHER AND WE WILL GO IN OUR SEPARATE WAYS." I like the plan.

"BUT WE JUST MET! WOULDN'T IT BE BETTER TO GO TOGETHER?"

"OH NO, I UNDERSTAND THOSE TWO NEED TO FIND THEIR MISSING BROTHERS" Something is bothering me "THAT'S WHY I WILL TAKE THE DAMSEL AND MAKE MY WAY TO PAINT STROKE WITH HER. I DO NOT CARE WHAT YOU PEASANTS DO AFTERWARD."

"YOU WON'T TAKE HER ANYWHERE," I glance at her, and she is looking at him. And I don't mind, because her hand is on mine. "YOU CAN'T."

"OF COURSE I CAN. I LIKE HER" A gasp and exclamations came from the "walnut gallery" or whatever humans called it "AND I DEMAND YOU UNHAND HER AND RETURN HER TO WHERE SHE BELONGS."

"Black, I already told you, it is okay to have friends, but friends don't belong to you." The siblings got behind her.

"I LIKE YOU." Sans walked to her other side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I heard you the first time." 

"SO YOU BELONG TO ME."

"I heard that the first time too, but the answer is... I don't know you enough to know if I will be your friend, I want to know you a bit more first." Lady Y/N, this is why I called you oblivious. "If you keep pressuring people into being your friends and acting as belonging means ownership, your friends will go away, even the possible ones that want to be your friend like me."

When you are in the receiving end of her obliviousness and receive her kindness and affection in a way that is different than the one you want, it is frustrating.

Right at this moment, with her hand in mine, seeing another be at that end was...

Gratifying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Black is a Way of the Open Hand Monk!**
> 
> **Monks of the Way of the Open Hand are the ultimate masters of martial arts combat, whether armed or unarmed.  
>  They learn techniques to push and trip their opponents, manipulate ki to heal damage to their bodies, and practice advanced meditation that can protect them from harm.**
> 
> * * *
> 
> I was so excited about this chapter that I forgot to edit the notes lmao.
> 
> I can't believe the end of the first arc is one chapter away... a very short chapter away. 
> 
> And I finally got to introduce Black! Mwahahah! His laughter is the best because I actually have an evil laugh.
> 
> Years of practicing it as a kid now gave it to me as an adult and... yeah, half of the time is weird.
> 
> * * *
> 
> A little bit of Trivia:
> 
> \- Being raised by Goliaths and shown affection like she never knew, Pixie/Reader got used to their hugs, pats, etc. Skeletons aren't soft, she is just used to tougher love.


	15. The Rise of The Ivory Brotherhood (Last chapter of the Abristan Arc)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is almost the end of the year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said the end of this arc was a very short chapter away? 
> 
> I decided to make it now lol
> 
> * * *
> 
> **The Golden Peninsula of Merry Tale, The Thirsty.**
> 
> **Merry Tale was an adult Tabaxi when they left their home. Tired of the elite of Constellation City and their sabotage, they ventured to find a new home. A place they could build according to their vision.**
> 
> **The Goliath Mountains didn't appeal to them. The rest of Abristan was available, but not a single corner could meet their vision.**
> 
> **Tired, they decided to leave the continent.**
> 
> **And that's when they reached their promised land. A small human settlement in the peninsula.**
> 
> **Walking through the settlement, Merry Tale found that humans were so neutral, with no redeeming qualities. They were living there for decades and it was still a small settlement. "There's not much we can do."**
> 
> **Merry Tale begged to differ.**
> 
> **They started buying one barrel of local Abristan spices which they later sold to an Othein merchant, who got all he needed from that barrel. He bought a package with Othein's fabrics and sold them to an old Tabaxi friend. And so on, Merry Tale kept buying and selling things from one continent to the members of the other. Until they had a store with more things that they could handle. So they offered a human to work the prime matter.**
> 
> **The settlement had its first baker. Then its first shoemaker. Its first luthier.**
> 
> **The business on the peninsula kept growing and so did the human population. The humans weren't the best at one thing, but they could be good at many things.**
> 
> **Merry Tale wrote a whole set of rules specifying the economic system and trade plans they had for The Golden Peninsula.**
> 
> **The dream of Merry Tale wasn't being filthy rich. It was that their name kept living after they were gone and that people remembered them by their good deeds.**
> 
> **It is said that the humans appreciated and admired their feline leader so much that they carried away all their plans turning The Golden Peninsula in what it is today.**

"HER DAD GAVE YOU TITLES?"

"yup, it was really cool of eggath."

"SIR EGGATH OR SIR TRUTHHEART FOR YOU!"

You were finally back at the inn. You were working in your room with Stretch making the last things you needed for tomorrow. You requested your lovely assistants to get you supplies for candle making, which was about to be done. The infusions had been prepared weeks ahead and your _pièce de résistance_ has been ready for a week. The other skeletons were in your room too, waiting. Black was using a dagger to carve wood. You didn't mind about their presence or what they did as long as they didn't intervene with your work.

"Black, you still have the permit, right?"

"I WOULD NOT FORGET SUCH AN IMPORTANT DOCUMENT, MY DAMSEL." You couldn't get used to that nickname. 

"Well, there you can check the names and titles for everyone."

"YOU GAVE ME A TITLE, MAIDEN?!"

"i did, bro."

"OH NO..."

"I STILL NEED TO ADD MY NAME, TITLE, AND SEAL ON THE DOCUMENT."

"I asked everyone to sign with their, nickname, except for Sans who holds the name because he was the first Sans I met. You can leave a space if you wish me to write your "title" just don't expect something as cool as the ones my dad came up with."

"WHAT ABOUT THE SEAL?" 

"you can use mine or you can make your own," Sans smiled. He and Blue used the same seal.

"I LIKED SANS SEAL!"

"I REFUSE TO USE THAT ONE."

"I thought it was cute and funny." There! The wax was the right color now!

"GIVE ME THAT, PEASIZED TYRANT. YOU ARE TAKING TOO LONG TO READ IT." You hear the sound of paper.

"I DEMAND YOU GIVE BACK THAT PARCHMENT THIS INSTANT, PEASANT!"

"THE FIRST PERSON ON THE PERMIT IS-"

"DID YOU JUST IGNORE ME?!"

"Black, lower your voice, I'm trying to focus."

"LADY Y/N TRUTHHEART. MERXIS' PIXIE MAIDEN. NEXT TO IT, THE SEAL IS CAMOUFLAGED IN BETWEEN THE WRITING."

"Oh, let me translate."

"what language is it, pixie?"

"Dwarvish characters but with Giant words." You looked at the writing "The Dynasty's Sword, our Next Master."

"WHAT DOES IT MEAN?" You noticed that skeletons tended to ask many questions.

"I will become the head of The Obsidian Dynasty one day."

"SO YOU ARE LIKE A PRINCESS!"

"No. Nothing like a princess." You were finally done, you only needed to clean up. "If you met my parents, you would see we are just like everyone else in the Dynasty."

"FAR FROM IT, TINY PIXIE" You turned around "YOUR PARENTS ARE NOBLE TO THEIR VERY CORE, TOGETHER THEY ARE EVERYTHING A LEADER SHOULD BE."

"Thanks for saying that about them, Edgey," he cleared his... throat. You would always question skeleton monster biology, but you accepted things as they were about it.

"THE NEXT NAME IS MINE" you see him stand proudly, and maybe a bit straighter than before "EDGE ELSNER F. TRUTHHEART'S FAMILY PROTÉGÉ. CAPTAIN OF THE OBSIDIAN GUARD."

"You need to use that title more frequently, Captain," the paladin looked away from you "I know you are used to being a Captain of the Royal Guard, but the Obsidian Guard is cool too."

"how many members does the obsidian guard have?" the wizard asked.

"Hmmm... Everyone but the children and anyone injured."

"ALL GOLIATHS TRAIN AND STUDY SINCE THEY ARE YOUNG, EVERYONE IS PREPARED FOR BATTLE."

"SO YOU HAVE A WHOLE TOWN UNDER YOUR COMMAND." The statement didn't sit okay with you.

"Let's stop there, okay?" at the looks of every skeleton you felt a bit uncomfortable "Want me to translate the writing?"

"YES, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT SIR EGGATH WROTE."

You smile "Xylsis' Champion, Shield of the Next Master," you handed the paper back to Edge "Do you like what he wrote?"

"I ACCEPT THOSE WORDS HONORED."

"Yes, Y/N, I love the words Sir Eggath wrote, I can't wait to thank him" you mock him, "No need to be so uptight here, Captain."

"MOVING ON TO THE NEXT NAME." He totally ignored you. "STRETCH E. F. OF SNOWDIN. FIRST OBSIDIAN BARD AND ARCHIVIST."

"WOWZERS PAPY! THAT SOUNDS AMAZING!"

"eggath takes all the credit."

"Uh... actually, Mom was the one to write next to your seal."

"manthe wrote too?"

"DAME MANTHE FOR YOU!"

"Poet of Wisdom."

"nyeh?"

"Looks like mom found something beyond your pranks and laidback attitude, Stretch."

"YOUR TITLES SOUND SO INCREDIBLE... I'M WORRIED ABOUT MINE" says the oldest skeleton looking at his brother. 

"COMIC SANS SERIF GASTER OF SNOWDIN. SCHOLAR AND JOKESTER" the paladin squints his eyes as if he couldn't believe what the seal was. "SANS! I COMMAND YOU TO CHANGE THAT BLASTED SYMBOL!"

"what's the problem with my seal?"

"EVERYTHING!"

"I thought it was original and cute" A family seal with the shape of a seal had lots of personality in your book.

"DON'T ENABLE THEM TO DO STUPIDITIES LIKE THAT, OR THEY'LL END UP GETTING YOU IN TROUBLE LATER." Remember the shirt Y/N. 

"THE LAST NAME IS "BLUE BERRY S. OF SNOWDIN, MAGNIFICENT RIDDLE MASTER." 

"PAPY!" You saw the oldest skeleton lift his sibling, embracing him and smiling with stars on his eyes. "YOU GAVE ME THE BEST TITLE EVER!"

"I WOULD NOT BE SO CONFIDENT ABOUT THAT STATEMENT IF I WERE YOU, PAWN."

"I'M NOT A PAWN," Blue settles Stretch carefully on the floor, "IF WE WERE CHEST PIECES, WE ALL KNOW WHICH PIECE WOULD REPRESENT US, STARTING BY OUR MAIDEN WHO WOULD BE OUR QUEEN."

"EXACTLY," Black stands up, "AND I WOULD BE KING." his cloak moves with the wind a bit. But the window was closed. How did that happen?

"YOU AREN'T SUITABLE TO BE THE KING, COMPACT TYRANT."

And that started a new discussion for who would be the king. You finished cleaning while they spent their time on that. Tomorrow in the morning you would need to wrap the candles and label everything.

"MAIDEN! PLEASE DECIDE. WHO SHOULD BE THE KING?"

"Sans."

"what?" The punster looked at you surprised, his cheeks faintly dusted in blue.

"Well... yeah, I mean... The King has time to be lazy, can sort of teleport when he castles, and just like you, a wizard, it is better if he keeps a bit of distance."

"BUT MAIDEN YOU ARE THE QUEEN!"

"I want to be a knight. I like it because it looks like a horse and has its own unique set of movements."

"BUT-"

"just let it be, bro"

"SIGH, FINE."

"So... Black, did you finish writing?"

"I DID, DAMSEL."

"I'll read it" you take the paper from him and read out loud "S. Black Serif of Snowdin. Chief Tactician and Master Combatant." Sounds very straightforward. "I think it tells lots about who you are." 

"THERE IS MORE ABOUT ME THAT YOU WILL LEARN, DAMSEL" You nod in agreement, there are lots of things you don't know about your friends and the last skeleton, but you hope to learn more about them. "I THINK THIS WILL WORK PERFECTLY AS THE SEAL." He hands you a stamp made of wood carved with the same design of his mask.

"I think it will work." You take a pencil and ink from your backpack and use it on the parchment. All names and signatures were ready. "You really like that mask, Black."

"NO ONE ELSE WANTED IT, SO I GOT IT FOR MYSELF." He pulls the mask out from under his cloak and looks at it.

"where did you find it?" Sans was now next to the carmine heeled skeleton.

"THE PENINSULA, OF COURSE! DID YOU NOT HEAR ME WHEN I SAID I CAN NOT LEAVE?" 

"does it look familiar to anyone else?" the wizard's pupils kept moving, studying the mask. Everyone looked at it and seemed confused by the question. You weren't sure, so you didn't say anything. 

"YES, IT DOES." the paladin was the only one that said something, and unlike the wizard, his gaze had a little spark of anger.

"Well, enough of that." You were exhausted and just wanted to go to bed. "I have to wake up early and tomorrow is a very important day."

"WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT, MAIDEN?"

"Well, Mr. Blue Sky, tomorrow is the last day of Athana."

"SO?" That's all he has to say?

"it's the last day to make preparations for the new year."

"You got it, Sans! I'm so excited to find out how they celebrate it here!" You had a plan to celebrate in one continent and the next day on the other. "I'll tell you all the plans I have for it tomorrow. Now, I want to sleep." You get up from the place you were sitting on the floor and stretched a bit. The popping sound of your joints was welcomed after today's events. Ignoring the flushed faces of the skeletons you grabbed your lighter set of clothes, your toiletries and went out of the room.

* * *

**Black's PoV**

The sound of the door closing brought me out of the daze after her little display. Did she know the effect that could have on me?

I doubt it. I just need to look around at the other skeletons with their gazes on the door to know that.

I would not mind if she did that while we were the only ones in her quarters, but to do it in front of all the insolent pawns she surrounded herself with? That's something I cannot allow.

She is lacking some manners for a person of her status.

I guess it will be in my hands to teach her proper behavior.

"YOU LISTENED TO HER," the disrespectful swordsman immediately talked, "TOMORROW IS AN IMPORTANT DAY, DESPICABLE QUARTET OF DIMWITS." 

"EXACTLY, SO BE QUICK AND LEAVE OUR CHAMBER IMMEDIATELY, PEASANTS." I was about to sit in one of the beds and wait for them to move out, but the so-called _bard_ and the _scholar_ stopped me by the shoulder.

"wait a sec, buddy"

"you haven't told us how you arrived here, not bro."

"why don't we go downstairs and have a little chat?"

"FINE, WE WILL MAKE THIS QUICK. MY SCHEDULE IS IMPORTANT AND I REFUSE TO MESS IT UP BECAUSE OF MINIONS LIKE YOU."

"ok"

The three of us made our way to the tavern. The jokester walked in front of us to a table that was farther from the others. A discreet location for our talk, far enough for others not to eavesdrop. As soon as we sat down, a small round human approached and took our orders. 

It was the first time a human took my order without the mask. It was probably the influence of the Damsel. We are not considered conscious individuals, and only the word of a human can validate us. The Peninsula is a distasteful place and I can't wait to finally leave and see Papyrus again.

The three of us stayed in silence, waiting for our drinks. The other patrons weren't subtle in the way they stared at us.

"START WITH YOUR QUESTIONS, I DO NOT HAVE ALL NIGHT."

"alright," How can they keep their guard down like that? "so, how did you get here, pal?"

"THE BARRIER HAD BEEN SHATTERED FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND MONSTERS WERE GETTING READY TO MOVE UP TO THE SURFACE. THE IMPERIAL GUARD WAS DISBANDED," I fought for years to keep up what was left of it, but there was no need for it said the human representatives. "AS BOSS MONSTERS, WE WERE THE FIRST ONES SELECTED TO MOVE UP. MU- PAPYRUS AND I WERE PACKING OUR THINGS, THE ONLY ROOM LEFT WAS MY BROTHER'S WORKSHOP. WHILE WE WERE PACKING THERE, WE HEARD THE MACHINE HUMMING WITH MAGIC." The round human walked towards us, and I stopped my story for a moment, waiting for a cup of wine that never got served. Serving the wine before leaving was more important than that cup of tea and whatever the other is drinking. But if I want something to be done right, I have to do it on my own.

"was your bro working on the machine?" asked the Papyrus in orange clothing.

"HE TRIED TO FIX IT, BUT SOME PIECES WERE MISSING SO HE LEFT IT BE YEARS AGO." The wine was, acceptable. Not the best, but good enough. "OR SO WE THOUGHT, AFTER ALL, IT ACTIVATED ON ITS OWN, RIPPING THE FABRIC OF REALITY."

"the machine can't activate on its own." the other me said. As if I did not know that.

"OF COURSE IT CAN'T, MORON." I stare at the dark red liquid on the cup, my carmine pupils looking back at me. "THERE WAS SOMEONE ELSE THERE," that seemed to get their attention because they had both of their sockets open, "INSIDE THE RIFT, I CAN NOT REMEMBER WHO, I JUST KNOW SOMEONE WAS THERE." 

"nothing and no one can exist in the void, you sure you saw something?"

"I AM SURE OF IT. WHO DO YOU TAKE ME FOR, YOUR BROTHER?"

"be careful on how you talk about my bro, or you are going to have a b a d t i m e."

"KEEP YOUR THREATS FOR SOMEONE THAT CAN BE INTIMIDATED BY A BABYBONES."

"whatever you say, lil' gideon" What does _gideon_ mean?

"WHAT IS A GIDEON?" A soft thud and a groan came from the skeleton, that now had his skull on the table, was the only reply I got.

The other Sans puts a hand on the taller skeleton "relax kid, one day they will understand your references."

* * *

**Blue's PoV.**

"EDGE, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING," the black-dressed Papyrus just looked at me, did he really have no idea what I was talking about? "I'M HAPPY ABOUT HAVING A NEW MEMBER IN OUR TEAM." That's true, I'm happy. A new friend is always welcome! "BUT WHAT HE SAID ABOUT TAKING OUR MAIDEN AWAY... DO YOU THINK HE WILL TRY TO TAKE HER AWAY?"

"I DON'T CARE IF HE TRIES."

"GASP! I THOUGHT YOU CARED ABOUT-"

"I HAVEN'T FINISHED!" He sits on his bed. "I DON'T CARE IF HE TRIES BECAUSE I WON'T LET HIM SUCCEED. NOT AGAIN." Ohhhhh. That makes more sense.

It is a bit weird to be able to talk to Edge about something this way. I guess this is the effect of traveling together for so long. 

"I SUPPOSE YOU'RE RIGHT, AND IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR ALL OF US TO TRAVEL TOGETHER."

"IF SHE DIDN'T KEEP ATTRACTING DANGER PROTECTING HER WOULD BE FAR MORE SIMPLE."

"I WISH IT WAS ONLY DANGER," I mutter without thinking.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, WUSSY BUNGLER?" Did he growl at me or his voice was too menacing?

"UH... I'M TALKING ABOUT WHAT BLACK SAID ABOUT LIKING HER" yes, but at the same time, not really.

"NYAHAHAH, HE WILL NEVER HAVE A CHANCE WITH HER."

"EH? HOW CAN YOU BE SO SURE?"

"BECAUSE SHE IS OBLIVIOUS AND WOULDN'T NOTICE EVEN IF HE WORE A SHIRT SAYING IT." That's... a really good point. She is always hugging us or holding our hands. Papy is always daydreaming leaning on her, Sans takes naps with his head on her lap. "-FRONT OF HER."

"SORRY? WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM-"

"Uhhh... this is my room, Edge." 

"MAIDEN!" There she was, standing with her hair dripping. The aroma of it is so sweet and relaxing. At least from the chamomiles... I'm still conflicted about the honey. "I WAS WAITING TO TELL YOU GOOD NIGHT."

"D'awww, that's adorable" Why? I don't want her to think I'm adorable, I want her to think I'm handsome, "Goodnight Mr. Blue Sky," she hugs me and I can feel my SOUL fluttering in joy. I hug back immediately and relax. I want her scent to last. Her soothing warmth, her smiles, her angelic voice.

Her presence that drives nightmares away.

"GOODNIGHT, SWEET MAIDEN." But it is not the time. Not yet.

"COME HERE, LADY Y/N," Lady?! I look at the Paladin in disbelief... when did he start calling her by her name or lady? "YOU'RE GETTING WATER EVERYWHERE." 

"Shoot, sorry," she let go and walked to him, sitting between his legs on the bed, and handing him the towel. "Thanks for the help."

He just started drying her hair with it, "YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE TO DO IT," she rolled her eyes at him. "BUT YOU DO A TERRIBLE JOB SO I HAVE TO DO IT."

"Why? Because I'll get sick?" Did I end in another dimension again?

"BECAUSE YOU WILL FIND A WAY FOR IT TO GET YOU IN TROUBLE LATER."

"UHHH... SINCE WHEN ARE YOU TWO THAT CLOSE?" I don't remember them being this close. 

"I don't know?"

"AS EXPECTED OF YOU."

"So funny. Just wait for the next training session."

"WHEN DID YOU TWO START TRAINING?!" Do the others know?

"Two weeks ago? I'm teaching him how to fish using bolt n°1 and bolt n°2"

I just keep blinking at them. Edge and Sans were the only ones that I didn't need to worry about. Sans has no idea he has feelings for her, and she likes Edge like a brother, a sibling. She said so herself.

"I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN TOO." It didn't matter, it's probably not what I'm thinking about.

"That's awesome! I didn't guess you will like to learn" the towel ruffling her hair gets to the front, covering her eyes.

"I TOLD YOU SHE WAS OBLIVIOUS." I was never good at guessing what Edge felt sometimes. He had this cranky look all the time. Unless I count our days at the cave, but we don't talk about those days. Normally, it was as if his expression went from grumpy to grumpier to grumpiest. Maybe it went to frustrated too. But at this moment, I could easily tell thanks to the cocky smirk on his skull. He was using her obliviousness to his feelings to be closer to her.

No, he has too much pride to do that.

He allows it.

If she can't notice his feelings, that means she doesn't notice our feelings. But if she understands the feelings of one of us, she will realize everyone else's too!

Flipping Skeletor! "YOU WIN THIS TIME EDGE! BUT I, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE, PROMISE THAT I WILL OUTSMART YOU NEXT TIME!" I walked out the door, closing it firmly and went to the room I shared with the others, finding Sans and Black with their faces full of drawings.

"PAPY?"

"one fell asleep out of nowhere and the other got drunk."

"I'M ASKING ABOUT THE DRAWINGS."

"i have a quill and ink"

"I'M NOT HELPING YOU TOMORROW IF THEY CHASE YOU."

"but you won't tell them, right?" Did he give Black a handlebar mustache?

"JUST MAKE SURE HE CAN'T SEE SANS FACE OR ELSE BLACK WILL FIND OUT IMMEDIATELY."

"you are the coolest, bro."

"I'M LETTING YOU DO IT JUST THIS TIME."

At least now I could sleep enjoying that one of my rivals would get some payback.

I will figure out what to do about the other one tomorrow.

* * *

You were wide awake, a little bit before sunrise, Merry Tale's mornings were incredibly cold. Winter was approaching fast, and the breeze was chillier every day. As soon as you sold your merchandise, you planned to buy some thick clothes suitable for winter. And a tent.

You see Edge's sleeping face and for someone with sharp looks like him, when he sleeps he looks gentle. 

You should get him something warmer too.

And probably a really big tent. Was every Papyrus almost 2 meters tall? 

You hoped so. If the other two were taller than Stretch... You would need to get Goliath sized tents from The Dynasty.

In any case, it was time to get up. 

As soon as you pull the blankets off of you, you see Edge sitting and grabbing his sword. When he confirms that you were the one that moved, he relaxes and leaves the sword. You just shake your head. 

"WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR TODAY?"

"Edge, I just woke up."

"YOU SLEEP TOO MUCH, TINY PIXIE."

"You sleep as much time as I do." 

"I ONLY NEED TO SLEEP 3 HOURS."

"No way, dude." As if that could be possible.

"DO I LOOK LIKE I'M JOKING?" You just woke up and already made him get his "super serious" face.

"Nope," It would be nice to need so little sleep, imagine how many hours of work you could get done. Wait a minute. "If you sleep only 3 hours, what do you do while everyone else is sleeping?"

"STAY ALERT."

"Huh." You should have expected that answer "Anyway, there's not much to do at the moment, breakfast will be served later so... Do you wanna help me label what I'm selling today?"

...

"THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE'S CALLIGRAPHY IS IMPECCABLE AS ALWAYS." You complimented him because of how clear his writing was, and how nice it looked on paper. The big letters would make it easy to read for the ones that had sight problems. Under his writing, you wrote what to request in case another apothecary had to prepare something similar.

"I KNOW YOU HAVE CANDLES AND INFUSIONS, BUT WHAT ARE THE LAST ONES?"

"Oh? Ohhhh! Those," you bite your lip because you want to tell him, but at the same time, you don't want to spoil the surprise, "You'll find out in two days, I promise."

"YOU BETTER TELL ME IN TWO DAYS."

"Yes, Captain!"

A knocking interrupted your talk. "Come on in!"

"MAIDEN, GOOD MORNING."

"Good morning Mr. Blue Sky, how did you sleep?" 

"NICE AND RELAXED, IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I SHARED A ROOM WITH SO MANY MONSTERS! IT WOULD'VE BEEN THE PERFECT CHANCE FOR A SLUMBER PARTY, BUT I GUESS WE DON'T HAVE WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR ONE."

"Eh? What's the difference of a slumber party with what we have done now while traveling?"

"THEY ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MAIDEN!" Wow, with his answer you can tell he must like slumber parties a lot.

"Well, I don't know that, I've never been to a slumber party."

"GASP! WHY NOT?" Oh... awkward question.

"Because I was busy studying." That was true "Anyhow, let's eat breakfast, the innkeepers said it started after sunrise."

"AH, DAMSEL. YOU ARE AWAKE." What in Xylsis name happened to his skull?! "DID YOU SLEEP WELL?" Oh boy. You couldn't hold it. You started laughing.

"NYAHAHAH!" Even Edge joined, and he never does!

"DID I MISS A JOKE?" It depends on what he is talking about. Was he asking about the monocle, the mustache, the goatee, the spiral on each zygomatic, or the single eyebrow?

"Not at all." 

"HER SLEEP WAS FUNNY BECAUSE EDGE WAS SNORING, RIGHT MAIDEN?" You nodded hiding your face on your hands. 

"THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE SHARED A ROOM WITH ME AND NOT HIM."

"Let's just get breakfast."

"YEAH, BLACK, YOU SHOULD HELP ME SELECT A SUITABLE TABLE FOR THE MAIDEN."

"IF I REFUSE YOU WILL END UP CHOOSING THE FIRST THING YOU SEE." He turned around "LET'S GO, PAWN." And you exploded in laughter again.

The back of his skull said 'egg the forbidden knows everything.'

You couldn't help but think that your bard friend was a genius. You had to remember to tell him that even Edge laughed at his prank. That had to be some kind of milestone in the party's history.

You got out of the room with the three skeletons and went to the tavern of the first floor. You liked the concept of inns with taverns because if you ever got drunk like the night you arrived, you could find the way back to your room faster. The idea was comforting.

"Hello, Molly!" You greeted the cook through the small window of the kitchen. She baked the most heavenly croissants you have ever tasted, and you just had to tell her that.

"Hiya, girlie," the robust woman said "Did you feel okay last night? I didn't see you for dinner."

"Yes, I was okay, just busy making some things for the festivities. Infusions, candles... and something else, a little special thing for Aklirim day." 

"Well, don't just keep it to yourself, tell me." Yes! A business chance! You get away from the skeletons and motion them to go to a table, they hesitate a bit but do as you told them. You get closer to the opening in the wall, as Molly gets closer and you start whispering to her, making different movements with your hand as you explain to her the special item you made.

"Oh, sweet Merry Tale! How much for one?!" 

"Well, I could give you one in exchange for some of those croissants." Yup, you would like that.

"Sure, but it sounds incredible!" She sighs lovingly "I would need at least 5!"

"Then we can come up with a price after I get some breakfast," You step back a bit "I heard the cook at this inn was incredible."

"Oh, you, silly girl. How about you and your friends wait there, while I prepare something extra special for you?"

"Thanks, Molly!" With that, you sit down at the table with everyone else. 

"WHAT WERE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT, MAIDEN?"

"Oh, you know, some girl stuff," it wasn't for you to be honest, but you hoped it would stop the curious skeleton from asking more questions.

"COULD THIS _GIRL STUFF_ BE RELATED TO AKLIRIM'S DAY, DAMSEL?" Oh no, did he know about it?

"I don't know what you are talking about," you were really bad at playing dumb. You could keep secrets or avoid talking about something, but you were no good at the deception game. You already kept quiet about his appearance, you hoped you could achieve that twice.

"DO YOU THINK I WILL BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN LIVING IN AKLIRIM ALL YOUR LIFE AND DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THE CELEBRATIONS?"

"Wait... didn't I tell you? I wasn't born in Aklirim, I come from Ebott." Now that you recall, you forgot to tell him that yesterday.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"Uh... long story short... About a decade ago, I climbed Mt. Ebott then fell inside a hole and woke up in the outskirts of the Dynasty, and there two wonderful Goliaths found me, and they raised me as their child." Molly came out from the kitchen, carrying two trays with her big arms, the promising smell of a tasty breakfast getting your attention.

"Here you go, dear" she looks at the skeletons and laughs joyfully. "Call me if you need anything, okay girlie?"

"Will do, Molly, thanks again!"

"WHY DID YOU NOT INFORM ME ABOUT WHERE YOU CAME FROM?" Your last team member asked. You noticed that he asked as many questions as Blueberry did, but he was more abrasive with them.

"BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MATTER, BRATTY TYRANT" the paladin set his coffee cup on the table, "YOU SAID YOU WOULD TELL US ABOUT YOUR PLANS FOR THIS EVENT."

"Yup, but I would like everyone to be here so we can talk."

"WORRY NOT, MAIDEN," the cleric got up his teacup clattering against the small plate under it "I'LL BRING THOSE LAZYBONES, SO YOU CAN TELL US." He sprinted away before you could even stop him, you went to the kitchen window and asked for two more cups of tea, and some honey. The two scarred skeletons were left on the table, looking at each other and talking, you were curious about what they could be talking about, so you approached slowly.

"-SELF CLEAR?"

"YES, BUT YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY OVER ANY OF US" Authority over who? "NO ONE IS INTIMIDATED BY YOU."

"I CAN TAKE HER AWAY WHENEVER I WANT AND YOU WILL NOT STOP ME," the smaller skeleton crossed his arms and smirked, "YOU ARE JUST A BODYGUARD, BUT WITH ME AROUND, YOU WILL NOT BE NECESSARY ANYMORE." 

"What are you two talking about?" you didn't like the tension in the air, nor the words Black said to Edge.

"ABOUT HOW IT WOULD BE BETTER YOU TRAVELED WITH ME, DAMSEL." Was that it?

"I doubt that," you sat down and grabbed a croissant, breaking it in two halves, "I don't know all the skills you have, because we are just going to start knowing each other. But that's the thing. How can it be better for me if we don't know each other?" You bit one half of the pastry, "I do admit, I wasn't sure about traveling with Edge because we didn't know each other for more than a couple of days, however, now I can't imagine this adventure without him or the others. He isn't just a bodyguard, the others aren't just peasants as you call them, we are equals." Blue came back, sitting each sleepy skeleton on a chair "We are all traveling together," you look at Sans "some are looking for their lost family," then towards Edge "others to keep a promise," you look at the siblings "others just because they empathize with their goals and simply wish to help." Every skeleton was looking at you, and the presence of each of them made you feel inspired. "No matter what the reason was, fate brought us together, but the decisions we made and the experiences we shared were the ones that kept us together." You looked at the last skeleton you met "Our goals are different, but we chose to follow the same path towards them," you point to Black with the other half of the croissant, who looks at it confused "it is your decision if you want to join, but there is no way I am leaving this brotherhood." 

"brotherhood?" You nod at Stretch.

"Yes, that's it!" You take out a familiar piece of parchment. There was one blank space left, one that you knew how to fill now. You took out the same utensils you used to write earlier. "From now on, guys, we will be known as...

The Ivory Brotherhood."

* * *

"i thought we were 'honey prince and her fairytale fellows'?"

"weren't we 'adventurers out of this world'?"

"I THOUGHT WE WERE THE 'THE MAIDEN AND HER SKELE-TON OF FRIENDS'"

"NYAH! STOP IT WITH YOUR PUNS!"

"PUNS ARE SO CHILDISH."

...

You rolled your eyes at them and kept enjoying your breakfast.

You couldn't wait for the festivities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A gazillion thanks and congratulations to all of you.
> 
> Thanks for giving this fanfic a try and congratulations on reaching the end of the Abristan Arc.
> 
> Without you lovely people, this fanfic wouldn't be the same. I hope each one of you can feel part of the story to some extent at some point. What started as a simple piece of paper in a notebook has become something a precious experience for me.
> 
> Anyways, if you are interested in what comes next, I invite you all to read the next chapter aka an Author's Note I will be writing. It comes with three important announcements.
> 
> So, yup.
> 
> Trivia for this chapter:
> 
> \- Stretch calling Black "lil' gideon" is a reference to Gravity Falls. Stretch is not only calling him short, a spoiled brat, and rude, but he is also assuring he will fail at getting the Reader's heart.
> 
> \- Stretch has failed like 90% of his intimidation rolls.
> 
> \- I roll a die every time someone says a pun to see if Black laughs or not. He likes puns but refuses to admit it.
> 
> \- Reader: What do you normally do when I'm sleeping?  
> Edge: Wait for you to wake up.
> 
> \- I rolled a nat 20 at the end of the chapter to know how the next arc will start, my reaction was "oh no."
> 
> \- Blue failed an intelligence check and ended overthinking what Edge was doing. Edge is okay with her obliviousness as long as it isn't directed to him. He helped with her hair because it is relaxing for her and he likes to do it.


	16. Note from a PotatoBastard (Author's Note)

Hello!

Uh... So this is the first time I will make an Author's note and I really don't know how to start it.

If you are reading this, I thank you for taking the time to read "The Ivory Brotherhood" and even more for reading this note. 

Boi, I'm worried about sounding too formal or informal. It is a bit difficult to tell since English is not my native language and music, cartoons and videogames have been my main teachers at learning it lol. That reminds me I need to go back and edit some parts that sound weird in some chapters. I tend to write in a sugar rush and just post it without reading the chapters once I finish them! And that's hella bad, like a big no-no.

Anyways, I have three announcements to make.

  1. I just created a **[Tumblr](http://aklirimtale-au.tumblr.com/) for all Aklirimtale **related content!  
  
It is empty for now, but I will post some extra stuff in it. The description of towns, about The Eleven Deviants, Aklirim's map, maybe some concept art on how the clothing of the skeletons look, and my headcanons of their personalities.  
  
You can find all this and more @aklirimtale-au on tumblr.  
  
  

  2. **I'm making Aklirim a D &D Campaign! So we are getting a discord server!**  
  
For this, I will be the DM and I'm going to accept 6 players. Both new and experimented D&D players are welcomed to join the party!  
Please, keep in mind that my timezone is GMT-4, so consider that before making your choice.  
  
Once the party is assembled, we will decide if we want to play through text or voice, because it will depend on the stability of the server, and the comfort of the players. I want it to be a good experience for everyone.  
  
**(UPDATE 2020/06/03: THE PARTY IS FULL! Well... has been for like over a month or something qvq  
But you can still join the server, I'll make one-shots for the ones that didn't make it so you get to play too.)**  
  
I will keep two channels, one for the players and the campaign and another one open for everyone that wants to comment about the campaign.  
  
The campaign will be set 7 years before the arrival of Pixie/Reader to Aklirim. You could get the chance to meet characters like Eggath during his time traveling as a Paladin. But be careful, you could end up splitting the timeline 0A0!!!  
  
The link to the discord server is up in the previously mentioned tumblr.  
  
  

  3. I'm writing a **Q &A Chapter**!  
  
Leave in the comments any questions you have related to the chapters. About NPCs, interactions that were implied but we didn't see in the chapters, theories, anything you want. I will answer to the best of my abilities. Some answers may be a bit vague to avoid spoilers.  
  
You can also request more info about the dynamic of the party or things that happened in between chapters.  
  
For example: " _I want to know what pranks Stretch played on the others" or "What lead the party to sing "Walk Like an Egyptian" on Blue's chapter?"_ _  
_



Once more, thanks for all your comments, support, kudos, and everything else. Every single one of you is awesome. Take care of yourselves, give love to those around you in these hard times, and appreciate yourselves, because someone out there cares about you.

Sincerely, a PotatoBastard. 

See you in a week with those As to your Qs.

The Ivory Brotherhood story will be back in two weeks!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS: The Tumblr and Discord Server are all set and ready uvu


	17. Lucky Day (Othein Arc: Chapter 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last day of the year goes amazingly well, and you are looking forward to spending the celebrations with your friends.
> 
> Souheth's Day, the day for making amends and letting go seems to be your lucky day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had this chapter here for days. And I was gonna wait to upload it in a week more BUT I wanted to start writing the next one and the one after that. 
> 
> I just love this arc so much! >v<
> 
> Oh! Remember to visit the [tumblr](http://aklirimtale-au.tumblr.com/) for all Aklirim related content from out of context drawings on past/future chapters, information on locations and NPCs, headcanons and the official AklirimTale server where you can join a DnD campaign set 7 years before the arrival of Pixie to Aklirim.
> 
> This chapter is brought to you by the song Lucky Day by 11 Acorn Lane.

It was a bit after your usual lunchtime when you were officially done selling your medicines and the exclusive items for the festivities. You were sure that without your skeletal assistants, you wouldn't have been able to sell things that fast. You expected Edge to go with you, but he excused himself after breakfast saying he needed to communicate with Xylsis. You had no idea how that worked exactly, and what you knew was from observing your father doing the same. It required time and lots of focus, and their divinity wouldn't reply all the time. Even your dad who was Xylsis' Champion for about 20 years didn't receive an answer.

A skull resting on your lap startled you and brought you back from your thoughts. Sans had both of his sockets closed and seemed ready to sleep after helping you the whole morning. He told you a bit about how he had a hot dog stand, his stargazing business, and the time he sold concert tickets made out of toilet paper. The monster had experience in sells and it seemed like he wasn't the only one with that talent, because the other two older skeletons joined too and you noticed how they seemed to know what they were doing. 

Blue would be the one to greet everyone and talk with people about their day and ask if they were looking for something special. After listening for a while Sans would intervene suggesting one of the products and you would talk to the customers about it and explain the other uses it could have. Black had a different talent. When people tried to haggle and get a lower price, he would refuse, talk to them, and offer an infusion for a lower price. 

You scolded him after you found out that he never made the discount on the infusions because it was not good to rip people off. That didn't mean you couldn't admire how easy he convinced people.

Now, you were sitting on a bench, waiting for Blue who went to look out for his brother to eat together. The youngest skeleton decided he would find a nice place to play the ukulele on the port near the ships. And, after a bit of convincing, Black went to get Edge too. You made sure to tell him not to interrupt the Paladin if he was talking to Xylsis. 

You could only hope he wouldn't try to provoke the vengeful captain.

You looked at the wizard and noticed a subtle smudge of ink over his nasal bone. You smiled at the memory of Sans' face painted like a mime, or was it a clown? You couldn't tell because of the lack of color. You attempted to clean your friend's face with your thumb while he slept, but your hand was caught by the wrist, his left eye socket was open, his pupil studying your face.

"You still have ink in your face," it was all you said before he released your hand with a relaxed sigh, and he closed his eye again. Taking it as permission, you rubbed his face a bit, cleaning the smudge. You were always surprised by the feel of bones under your fingers. Well, at least the feeling that came from touching magical monster skeletons. They had some softness to them even when their bones felt firm and an unexpected warmth that you found comforting. You let the tip of your fingers trace every mark on Sans' skull, they were light and made the skeleton look tired. It reminded you of your father's face, one that told you he went through a lot. Sans had the same faint marks of many sleepless nights under his sockets.

You wondered about his life and what he went through to have such a worn-out look. You didn't notice you said it out loud, but you noticed that he was looking at you with a dim blue tint across his skull. 

"Sorry!" You felt your face heating up, you were just going to clean the ink, not let your curiosity take over and touch him. You tried to pull your hand away, but he kept it where it was with his own.

"don't."

"What?"

"y/n," Was his voice deeper? "it's okay, it's relaxing."

And with that, he went back to his nap. 

Puzzling you with their behavior must be a skeleton thing. Moments like this would remind you that there were lots of things you didn't know about them. 

You looked around, noticing how some citizens turned around as soon as your gaze went over them. It was evident to you that they couldn't believe how you treated Sans.

It was fair.

You couldn't believe the way they acted and how judgemental their gazes were or the disbelief when your friends would reveal their sentience. Were humans like this all the time, no matter the place they were?

Just as you were starting to miss home, you saw the scarred skeletons walking towards you, with each step, you could hear the tap of their heels. You doubted you could even manage to walk with heels that high. 

"I SEE THE OVERGROWN ASHTRAY AND THE BLUE BUNGLER ARE NOT HERE YET."

"Nope, just me and Sleeping Beauty here."

"SANS! YOU POCKET CLOWN, GET UP!" the tallest of the three was livid.

"ok," the wizard gets up for a moment, only to lay down again, this time on his side.

You sighed and shook your head, the only way to convince Sans of getting up would be the change of location, which won't happen until the siblings arrive. But at least, you could move him and make him sit up, leaving the place at your left free. The newest member of the group didn't need to be told once before moving to sit by your side as close as it was possible. With the wizard leaning on you, you had no choice but to stay where you were.

"How did it go with Xylsis, Captain?"

"SHE DIDN'T REPLY," So that's why he is moody "AND THIS INSUFFERABLE TYRANT INTERRUPTED ME!" Or maybe it was that.

"THE ONLY THING TO BLAME IS YOUR LACK OF FOCUS."

"Don't worry, Edgey, I'm sure you will get to talk to her soon." Your words managed to lighten up a bit the tension that both skeletons brought with them.

The sound of Blue's voice was more than welcomed.

"MAIDEN, ON OUR WAY HERE WE SAW THIS PLACE WHERE THEY MAKE SAVORY PIES AND THEY SMELL AMAZING!" Savory pies? You are all up for it! 

"That sounds delicious! It has been a while since I ate a pie of any kind." With those words, Blue seemed really happy and immediately held both of your hands, pulling you up swiftly, making the two skeletons on the bench knock their skulls against each other, the sound of the impact was dull and empty.

"MAY I ESCORT YOU THIS TIME, MAIDEN?" You saw the cleric offering his arm to you. It was such a sweet gesture that you accepted immediately. The smirk he sent your way made you smile back.

"oh, but bro, if you escort her, who will escort me?" You laughed joyfully at the bard's comment.

"Don't worry, princess, I will escort you," you repeat the same gesture Blue made for you, "for I have two arms and one of them is still free." You winked and looked forward, for a moment, you swore you saw an orange tint in his cheekbones. "Take us to our destination, Mr. Blue Sky!"

At your request, the three of you started moving forward, followed by three frowning skeletons.

* * *

The salty breeze that came from The Silent Sea moved your (h/l) (h/c) hair towards your face, making it difficult for you to eat. Every single time you tried to get some of the delightful spinach pie you had, you would get some of your hair in too. Eating outside sounded like such a wonderful idea when the oldest skeleton suggested it, but after half of your pie, you changed your mind about it.

That didn't keep you from being stubborn and refusing to eat indoors.

The breeze was strong, and you could feel it would only get stronger, and colder by tomorrow. The Solar Eclipse of Souheth's Day lasted for a while, it would be a good idea to give the skeletons their Aklirim's Day presents early. If you asked Molly and the Innkeepers if they could let you use their kitchen to cook or bake something on Aklirim's Day, then you would also have a gift to give them on the same day.

The problem was that you needed to buy the gifts, and you couldn't with them around, but you knew that after the last events, you couldn't just get up and leave on your own. 

"After lunch, I need to do some shopping so, I will be very busy for a couple of hours. It will be tedious so you can all go back without me." 

"WHAT ARE YOU BUYING, MAIDEN?" Curse your curiosity Blueberry!

"Just wanted to look around for uhhh..." there must be something around to help you, "A thing that I need. Yeah, that." 

"AND WHAT WOULD THAT BE, DAMSEL?" Why did the bandana-wearing skeletons like to know everything?

"Girl stuff." Take the hint not to ask anymore.

"ALL OF US WILL HEAD BACK TO THE INN FIRST," you didn't expect Edge to agree "JUST FINISH YOUR FOOD FAST AND GO. THE SOONER YOU ARE DONE, THE FASTER YOU'LL BE BACK AT THE INN."

"Of course!" Shoving what was left of your pie (and some of your hair) in your mouth as fast as you could, you munched it a couple of times and swallowed it down as the little savage you were, there was no time to waste in manners, and it was better to leave while nobody protested "See you later, guys!" And you sprinted away.

* * *

**Stretch's PoV**

As soon as she was out of ear's reach, my brother, Edge, and Black stood up, the three of them having a little stare down. The three frowned as if they knew what the other was doing.

"TRUCE?" Blue was the first to break the silence.

"TRUCE" "TRUCE." The other two agreed.

"SHE'S LEAVING, WE NEED TO HURRY!" My bro grabbed my hand and pulled me up "PAPY, YOU'RE COMING TOO!" 

"uh, where?" It better not be what I'm thinking

"WE'RE GOING TO FOLLOW HER." It was exactly what I was thinking.

"she got out of view, you know?" Sans pointed out, already standing with both hands in his robe.

The three energetic skeletons pulled me forward and started running through the town. I was used to my bro making decisions like this, but I didn't expect the laziest skeleton on our group running too.

"sans, you too?"

"what? it'll be hilarious when she sees them." Oh, that was true. I didn't like the idea of following her, after all, everyone needed a moment to be alone, but missing the look on their faces when she finds them would be a great loss. I already missed seeing Edge lose it laughing at Black this morning, I wasn't going to miss this too. 

And I'm technically being dragged into this against my will, so she wouldn't get mad at me.

We got in an alley, our skulls were the only visible parts from where she was walking now. We saw her look around until she finally approached a man and started to talk to him, a polite smile on her face. 

"ISN'T THAT THE GUARD THAT WAS ON TOP OF THE WALL?" My bro was studying his face as much as he could.

"fred?" 

"SHUT IT, I'M TRYING TO READ HER LIPS."

"you know how to do that?" I was wondering about that myself, but the wizard stole the question from me.

"NO, BUT I CAN STILL TRY!"

"SIGH, YOU ARE SO USELESS. LEAVE THIS TO A PROFESSIONAL." Black ran deeper into the alley, descending somewhere. I wondered about where did he go, but he didn't appear back again. 

When I saw him appear on the alley behind her, I had to admit he knew what he was doing. He had the mask back on his skull. But even with all that effort, it proved useless because she started walking, Fred posed a hand on her shoulder, a big smile on his face while he pointed at different places. Then she clapped her hands at something he said and nodded enthusiastically.

I thought she disliked humans, but then why did she let him get that friendly. 

I had clear that I liked her, and I had even more clear that she was her own person. She was a free spirit, and she was beautiful that way. It was okay, she would pay attention to everyone and smile and spend time with all of us. As long as she was around, it was enough for me.

But this human flirting openly with her was different. Was it because she was "alone" with him?

Wait, was this what she meant by "girl stuff"?

"THE HUMAN GUARD MUST HAVE FELT MY PRESENCE, WE HAVE TO MOVE." We saw them walk inside a clothing shop, and had no way of going inside without her finding out.

"BLACK, LEND ME YOUR MASK AND CLOAK, I HAVE AN IDEA."

The other skeleton handed him the objects he asked for. It was weird seeing them working together, but we all had the same objective. 

"PAPY, GIVE ME YOUR CAPE, EDGE I WILL NEED YOUR SCARF." What was he trying to do?

We handed him all the things and saw him roll the cape into a ball around the bottom half of the mask, and pulling the hood over it. He tied his bandana on his head the way he did when cleaning our house, and finally, he put on the cloak over his shoulders as a shawl, with the scarf covering the lower half of his face. 

The golden touch was the way he stooped, his posture resembled the one of an elder holding a baby.

Before any of us could stop him, he took a step inside the store and turned towards us and said "I'M IN," only to collide with someone that was going out, falling on his knees and with the metal of his boots making a huge noise. We hid on both sides of the shop, where we could still see how the human that made him fall didn't even attempt to help, just muttered a sorry and kept going.

I made sure to remember his face and name. Before leaving, I would need to talk to him.

"Are you okay, Miss?" If that wasn't enough, (y/n) was the one to approach to help Grandma Blue.

"I'M FINE, SWEET LADY, JUST GLAD THAT HE DIDN'T WAKE UP MY GRANDBABY." The voice my bro made was high pitched with a hint of that tremble elders had in them.

"How rude of him!" She put a hand on his back and helped him stand up. "Is your grandchild, okay?"

"YES, SHE IS STILL SLEEPING." He held her hand and gave it a soft squeeze."THANKS FOR HELPING US, MY DEAR, YOU ARE A LOVELY GIRL." 

"Y/n?" The guard appeared, great, "the clerk is waiting for us."

"HOW RUDE OF YOU TO INTERRUPT A CONVERSATION, YOUNG GUARD" and then he added, "A SWEET GIRL LIKE YOU SHOULD BE SPENDING THE AFTERNOON IN BETTER COMPANY."

She giggled, "I will do that soon, he's just helping me choose a gift."

"OH? A GIFT?" The suspense made us all fall silent.

"Yes, for Aklirim's Day, I'm looking for something special," What? "Do you want me to get the clerk to help you?"

"EH? NO, NO, I HAVE TO GO, BYE CUTE GIRL."

"Bye, Miss, have a nice afternoon."

As soon as he turned around the corner, my bro took off everything, handing each of us our clothes back.

"WHAT'S AKLIRIM'S DAY?"

"the day of the meteor shower," Sans replied with a big smile. I remember reading about it while checking the calendar. I didn't spend time learning about the holiday tho.

"NOT ONLY THAT," Black was glaring at each of us as if we offended him on a personal level "IT IS ALSO A DAY FOR LOVERS TO EXCHANGE GIFTS."

"what? it's just the feast and the meteor shower."

"I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO HUMAN GIRLS GO ON AND ON ABOUT IT SINCE THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH."

"WOWZERS! YOU HAVE BEEN STALKING HUMAN GIRLS ALL THIS TIME!"

"I HAVE NOT BEEN STALKING ANYONE. THEY ARE JUST TOO LOUD AND ONE HAS TO BE ALERT AT ALL TIMES," he crossed his arms, "THEY SAID THAT IF YOU EXCHANGE GIFTS UNDER THE METEOR SHOWER YOU WILL SPEND YOUR WHOLE LIFE WITH THAT PERSON." Wait, didn't she say she was looking for something special?

Was she giving that to **someone special**?

"WHAT A RIDICULOUS RUMOR," Edge straightened up "I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN HEARING YOUR RIDICULOUS GOSSIP." The Paladin walked away, in direction to the other stores.

"WHAT A COINCIDENCE," My bro was sweating a bit "I ALSO HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO NOW." And he left in the same direction.

It looks like we all arrived at the same conclusion.

The best option was to keep a gift in case she chose one of us.

And I knew the perfect gift.

* * *

You sneaked back to your room, holding multiple bags, you struggled to open the door, the fear of any of the skeletons seeing you with the bags made you worry. Finding the room empty, you left everything on the floor and quickly started hiding everything under the bed.

Your shopping trip was a success. You bought warmer blankets for everyone, a pair of soft and thick socks, wool gloves, sweaters, the warmest undershirts and pants you could find, and winter cloaks. And you acquired two big tents.

You ran out of most of your money, but it didn't matter. Your friends would spend winter traveling warm and comfortable, without worrying about getting sick, and that's all you needed.

You also bought things for yourself, and you immediately pulled out your new poncho. The moment you touched it, you knew it was the best piece of clothing you could find for winter. It was (f/c), and ended right above your knees, with a turtleneck to keep the harsh winter wind from sneaking inside your clothes.

You started spinning around, admiring your poncho and didn't notice the moment the door opened, revealing your giggling self to the tallest skeletons.

The familiar sound of your roommate clearing his throat made you stop, and blush.

"You didn't see anything, okay?" You pulled the neck of the poncho over your face in a poor attempt at hiding your face.

"of course not."

"ABSOLUTELY."

"we didn't see you giggling like a child."

"OR SPINNING LIKE A BALLERINA."

You didn't expect them to team up to tease you. But in a way, it made sense. They were the skeletons that spent the most time with you and (without counting Blue) they knew each other the longest. Still, it was a bit weird to see them together without calling each other nicknames.

You were sure they had some sort of secret competition on who could create the most nicknames for the other.

"Wait, where are the others?" That was a good question, it was difficult to see the bard without his brother.

"they aren't here?" 

"No?" Hmmm, it was weird for Stretch not to know where his brother was, "I wanted to talk about Souheth's Day, I had a few things planned for it." You laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, "I suppose I'll wait for them here." Maybe you should check the weather for tomorrow.

"i suppose i could write something." 

"Oh? New song?"

"no, just a book i'm working on."

"A book? Are you a writer?"

"i was before arriving here."

"Woah, what kind of books did you write?" That was so cool, you never met a writer before.

"look at the time," he was looking at his nonexistent clock "my bro must be near, i'll go find him," he turned around and left the room. It was the first time you saw him move that fast.

"That was weird," you turned to see that Edge was looking out of the window, not paying attention. "Edge? Is there something wrong?"

"I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE WEATHER, THE WIND HAS BEEN GETTING STRONGER."

"Oh, I can tell you how the weather is going to be tomorrow if you want."

"CAN YOU DO THAT, LITTLE PIXIE?" You had an idea of why he was thinking about it, but you weren't going to say out loud.

"Sure!" You walked to the door and locked it. You sat on the floor, in the place between the beds, and tapped the spot in front of you, waiting for your friend to sit in front of you. "What I'm about to show you, is a cantrip that people like me usually don't know."

"YOUR SECRET IS SAFE WITH ME, LADY Y/N."

"I know," you cupped your hands in front of you "I trust you, Edge." You whispered some words in the language your mother taught you, and above your hands, you felt energy flowing. At first, you saw a cloud and felt strong wind around it, then it changed into a golden orb that for a moment turned black and then went back to normal, only to end as a cloud again and the feel of the wind finally dissipated.

You separated your hands and placed them over your knees, "It seems like it will be cloudy, then sunny and cloudy again, with strong winds all day. I assume it will be a cold day, perfect to wear my new poncho."

"HOW RELIABLE IS THAT CANTRIP?"

"100% as long as someone doesn't change it with a spell." You didn't know if there was a specific spell for changing the weather. Maybe you should read more about spells and cantrips out of your discipline.

"WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?" You smiled. It was the first time you had someone apart from your parents to talk about your skills and that wouldn't judge you because of what you could do.

Maybe one day you would feel ready to tell the others. For now, you would enjoy the occasion to share with only one of your friends.

* * *

"Okay, guys, as you know, tomorrow is Souheth's Day," you were in your room, all the skeletons were sitting on both beds, "it is the day meant for us to make amends and let go."

"in the sanctum, the elves would apologize about things they did, others would spend it reflecting on things" You nodded.

"In the Dynasty it was similar, letting go could be interpreted as letting the ones that left us to rest in peace, but for others, it meant letting go of the person you acted as and giving the chance to be your true self, it is a day to open your heart to change," You liked Souheth's Day. The first one you celebrated, you couldn't understand what it meant, you still didn't find who you were, but the next one you had an idea, and every time it arrived you found more things about yourself and opened your way to new ones.

One day, you hoped you could let go of your past, and let the marks it left on you completely heal.

"For others, like my dad, it is an excellent day to find out the reactions of people."

"eggath would spend it pranking?" You nodded.

"Yup, he would apologize immediately and say it was okay for a little disorder to happen on Souheth's Day." You remembered the day he asked you to help him make something that changed the pitch of people's voices, it took you ages to find a combination of ingredients that could achieve something like that.

"PAPY, YOU BETTER BEHAVE PROPERLY TOMORROW."

"Blue is right, I don't know how people spend the day here, they probably don't go pulling pranks." You were pretty sure it was just a thing back home. "Usually, we let the solar eclipse be the moment when we reflect and after concluding, we go out and enjoy a meal sharing our thoughts and feelings."

"THEN WHAT IS THE PLAN, DAMSEL?"

"I thought that maybe we could cross to Othein before the Eclipse, you know, let go Abristan and move onto the next stage for our travels."

"heh, i like your plan, pixie."

"OH! WE COULD HAVE A PICNIC AFTER THE ECLIPSE!"

"Then, it is decided. We will get our things ready and leave before the solar eclipse."

"AT WHAT TIME IS THE ECLIPSE?"

"Good question, Captain. It is-"

"around 1 or 2 pm, it lasts for about half an hour or more, and it is a total eclipse, for a moment the day will turn into night."

"Yeah... Where did you learn all that?"

"reading, lol" That makes sense, "and i may have a ph.d. in astronomy."

"What?!" Why did it seem like you were the only one surprised by that fact? "First, I find out that Stretch is a writer, then that Sans has a Ph.D.," you look at the other skeletons "What's next? Black is a fashion designer?"

"HOW DID YOU KNOW?"

"You've got to be kidding me... are you serious?!"

You couldn't tell if the smirk he had confirmed it or not.

* * *

While The Ivory Brotherhood made their last arrangements for the next day and got ready to sleep, the world was still going. 

Perdius and his family arrived at The Obsidian Dynasty.

The Masters of The Obsidian Dynasty were preparing for the upcoming events. 

The Forest Sanctum was as isolated from the outside world as always.

In the Buoyant Ball Mountains, two sections of the same rope were covered by dirt.

The Requiem and its crew were returning to the Silent Sea.

And a large group was approaching The Golden Peninsula.

During your slumber, the world kept spinning around, and the creatures on it were subjects to the flow of time without a choice but to keep moving.

* * *

The clattering of the room's window woke you up. You didn't know how strong the wind was, but it was louder than what you've heard before.

It was also earlier than the usual time you woke up, or maybe the clouds covering the whole sky gave you that idea. After blinking for a couple of minutes, your eyes finally adjusted to the dark, allowing you to see the shapes of the things around you.

You noticed Edge sitting on the floor with his back towards your bed facing the window.

"What are you doing there, Edgey?" You noticed him flinch, or maybe it was just your brain playing tricks on you.

"TRYING TO CONTACT XYLSIS."

"Oops, sorry for interrupting."

"YOU WOKE UP EARLIER THAN USUAL, LADY Y/N."

"The noise of the window was too loud," you got up and walked to it. And in an idiotic impulse, you placed your face against it to look outside, "T-There's n-not a-a s-single s-soul o-outs-side," your voice was shaking, provoked by the movement of the glass against your mouth. You laughed at the way you sounded. As funny as it was, you needed to get ready for the day. You hoped the wind wasn't too strong after the eclipse because you were looking forward to the picnic at the pier. It would be the first one you had in a place like that.

You headed to the bathroom for a quick shower, new clothes in hand. New pants, winter boots, a warm undershirt, a sweater, your leather armor, and your fingerless gloves. For a moment, you almost chose mittens because of how warm they looked, but then you remembered you needed a good grip on your crossbow in case anything happened.

With a sigh, you finished dressing and returned to the room where your companion seemed to have returned from taking a bath himself. 

You needed to start knocking. 

Seeing someone shirtless without expecting it was and would always be embarrassing for both parties.

But you already opened the door, and he was looking at you, so you just walked inside and started folding the used clothes and putting them on your backpack. You would wash them later.

"YOU SHOULD KNOCK BEFORE ENTERING A ROOM, YOU IMBECILE," He said loudly and red in anger.

"I know, sorry, I sort of forget, you know, I'm not used to sharing a room, so uh... sorry" you grabbed one of the bags under the bed and gave it to him without lifting your gaze, "Here, a gift, for you. New clothes that you can wear" if the situation wasn't awkward before, you surely made it awkward now "I'll just... wait outside."

You sprinted out of the room and slammed the door behind you. You slid down to the floor and sat with your head over your knees.

"Note to self, let go of the me that isn't used to knocking on doors." With a click, a skeleton emerged from the room next door. 

"GOOD MORNING, MAIDEN!"

"Hey, Blueberry, why are you up so early?"

"UH... WELL..." You noticed a bit of sweat running down his skull. It was translucent but with a tint that was the same color as his eyes. 

"Bad dream?" He looked a bit tired, and it was honestly the only idea that came up to your mind.

"SIGH... YEAH," it felt weird that he was so quiet, or for him to look so drained of his usual energy "BUT DON'T WORRY, DEAR Y/N. I, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE, WILL BE FINE RIGHT AFTER TAKING A MORNING BATH."

"Oh, wait! Don't go yet," you turned around and were about to turn the doorknob, but this time, you knocked.

The door opened, revealing Edge wearing the new clothes you got him, including the heavy coat. You got around him, lifting the coat, hearing his protest in the process, but you were happy to see that everything fit perfectly.

"They look so good on you! And I knew the coat would look great on you," you looked behind Edge "Blue, come here, I have new clothes for you too."

"YOU GOT ME NEW CLOTHES, MAIDEN?"

"Of course, I got everyone clothes suited for winter travels," you got from under the bag that had Blue's clothes "Here, these are for you."

"MAIDEN, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO..." You could see how he was almost tearing up.

"I'm not having any of that, I bought them because I wanted to," you looked at the two skeletons in the room "I appreciate that you are still traveling with me, so... this is an early Aklirim's Day gift. A day to be grateful for the things we have, you know? And what I have is good friends."

The short skeleton hugged you tight and spun you around thanking you for the gift.

"MUAH" The moment he set you back on the floor again, he pressed his teeth to your cheek. "I'M GOING TO WEAR THEM IMMEDIATELY," and he left with a wink, almost skipping out of the room.

You were glad the gift lifted his spirits. Still, you would remind him that he could talk to you at any time if he had bad dreams.

Maybe you could even prepare something that could help him sleep better.

The loud steps of Edge got you out of your thoughts, he had his arms crossed and you saw him pack his previous clothes. He looked grumpier than before you knocked.

"Did... did you not like the clothes?" the thought made your heart sting a bit, "Or are you still mad about earlier?"

"I LIKE THE CLOTHES," he sighs loudly and closes his backpack, "AND I'M NOT MAD." 

"Then... why do you look so grumpy?"

"I'M NOT GRUMPY," You weren't going to believe that, "I'LL TELL YOU LATER."

It was your turn to sigh then, "You promise?" you wanted to know what got him in such a bad mood, but you knew that pushing him into telling you wouldn't help. 

You wished that you could learn the spell Zone of Truth. It would be so useful sometimes.

"I PROMISE, AND YOU KNOW THAT SOMEONE AS GREAT AND TERRIBLE AS I KEEPS HIS WORD, LADY Y/N." You approached and hugged him.

"I'll hold you to that."

He hugged you back but groaned "ONE MORE PUN AND I'LL GET MAD."

You laughed and pulled away, "Got it, Captain!" You got the three bags that were left under your bed. "I'll give the others their presents, see you downstairs for breakfast!"

"KNOCK THE DOOR BEFORE YOU ENTER."

"O-of course, I will!"

* * *

You had to admit that you weren't the best at choosing clothes. Your sense of fashion was mostly determined by how functional and comfortable the clothes would be for battle or traveling. You considered yourself lucky because you liked simpler clothing.

You preferred being able to climb a tree without worrying, instead of having to go slow being careful not to rip your clothes. 

But you were damn sure that the clothing you chose for the skeletons looked good because of them. The slight variations of the cloaks and the different colors made each of them stand out.

You felt proud of your talent to choose clothes.

Out of the Inn, the day was even windier than you expected, but at least the sun was out. The food you prepared the previous day for the picnic was kept inside your Black's backpack. He insisted that he was the only one careful enough not to get it ruined while walking. You noticed other people around holding tight onto their clothes but still finding places to be under the eclipse.

As you walked to the border checkpoint, you were both excited and anxious at the same time. Your documents were legit, but you couldn't help thinking that maybe they would find something wrong with them.

To your surprise, you found Bua, the girl guard that you met on your first day, sitting in the palm of her golem. You were a bit too harsh with her at the time.

"We meet again, Bua," you smiled at her extending your hand "It's nice to see you."

"Oh, it's you!" She holds your hand and shakes it energetically "I was hoping we could meet, I wanted to apologize about the other day, I was very rude and-"

"It's okay, Bua. I'm sure you didn't know and I'm the one who should be apologizing, I should have been nicer when explaining the situation."

"No, I..." the golem moved and she looked at her creation, "We'll end up apologizing over and over again, so... how about we start over?"

You nod, "Hello, my name is (y/n) Truthheart, a wandering apothecary."

"Bua Zouk, Gatekeeper Guard of The Golden Peninsula."

"IF YOU ARE A GATEKEEPER, THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" If something you were learning from Black, is that he didn't tolerate people that failed on their duties.

"Well, today some visitors from the South arrived most of the high command had to meet them, and that left us the regular guard and golems being the only ones available at all checkpoints."

"It sounds like something important."

She looked around and leaned closer to you "I heard that some wanted criminals are in the area, we will be notified about it soon. Keep an eye open, okay?"

"I will." Criminals, huh? It was the first time you heard about criminals near you in Aklirim. The Obsidian Dynasty was a restricted place and everyone knew each other. They were loyal and would always help each other.

"Are you going to cross the border?" 

"Oh, yes. Do I have to wait for someone or...?"

"Nope, I can help you with that for today, I just need you to sign these papers and for each of one to introduce yourselves."

"Is that all?" That sounded so easy.

"No, normally we would have someone here that knew the spell Zone of Truth to verify that you were telling, well, the truth, but for today, we can rely on my expertise at analyzing forgeries." She squinted her eyes a bit.

"I, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE, WILL BE THE FIRST ONE," he posed, the wind moving his cloak heroically "BLUE BERRY S. OF SNOWDIN, MAGNIFICENT RIDDLE MASTER, FIFTH MEMBER OF THE IVORY BROTHERHOOD."

"Age and seal explanation?"

"I'M 31 YEARS OLD, HUMAN BUA, THE SEAL REPRESENTS THE UNDERSTANDING, BALANCE, AND ADAPTABILITY OF THE HOUSE OF SNOWDIN." Where did he get the explanation?

"Okay, sign here please." She checked at Blue's writing with a magnifying glass and compared both papers "It looks like you are all good. Please step to the other side of the border and wait for your companions." The cleric followed her instructions with a big smile and gave you two thumbs up. "The rest of you can make a line, the procedure will be the same, for everyone."

You were the last on the line. The skeletons insisted for you to go first, but you wanted to make sure everyone got in. Everyone explained their symbols. The only ones that refrained from doing so were Edge and Stretch, saying that you were the one that should do it according to the protocol.

You knew it was because you forgot to explain what the seal represented.

On the other hand, you learned the ages of the other skeletons. It still surprised you to know that Sans was... the youngest Sans. Black and Sans were 30 and 29 years old respectively. 

Sans looked older, somehow.

"honey, it's your turn."

"Oh, ah, yes." You cleared your throat "Lady (y/n) Truthheart. Merxis Pixie Maiden. 25 years old. My family seal is the tattoos of Merxis, the Insignificant, in the middle of Giant writings."

"So that's why it was different from the other two," she made you sign "What do the writings say?" You didn't want to tell her, but maybe she had a way to read them.

"It is just the same titles, but like they are called back home," you looked at Stretch "He is known as Poet of Wisdom."

"That sounds so distinguished," you nodded "What about yours?"

"Oh, they call me The Dynasty's Sword and Edge is The Dynasty's Shield."

"Why are you two called like that?"

"We trained under my father, and he invented those names, that's all." You didn't want to explain more about it. It was better for you to travel without people thinking you were "a noble." You just wanted the same treatment as everyone else.

"I would love to see your skills one day, Lady (y/n)," she gave you a smile and blinked slowly at you. "Maybe, after the festivities, we could go out, somewhere?" You didn't expect an invitation from her, but you weren't going to refuse a chance of getting to know her better. You still felt bad for how easily you judged her on the first day, and you wanted to give her and yourself a chance to make amends.

"IT IS SUCH A PITY THAT WE WILL NOT BE HERE, RIGHT DAMSEL?"

"Eh? Are we going to leave?"

Stretch approached and leaned on you "we have to move all we can before the first snow, honey." From the angle you were in, you couldn't see the faces of any of the skeletons, and you didn't notice the way Bua paled. 

"It's okay! We can leave it for the next time you are here," Nim, her golem, moved their hand in front of Bua "Or maybe not."

"Uh, sure?" You felt Stretch nuzzling you. "Are you okay, Bua?"

"Y-yeah, I just need to file the paperwork." She sounded fine, perhaps she didn't like paperwork tho.

"Okay, thanks for everything, Bua."

"I just did my job, that's all, y-your friends and you can keep going."

"Alright, I'll see you later for our training." And you walked away, your Othein Traveling Permit signed and approved.

You gave the first steps in the other continent, and couldn't help but think about how far from home you were.

"Welcome to Othein, Necromancer," said a guard at the entrance.

You just shook your head and kept walking, cloaks, a scarf, and a poncho, moving with the wind.

You looked around and saw many places selling food, so you decided to try something while you waited for the eclipse.

"They have candied fruit!"

"YOU'LL SPOIL YOUR APPETITE, PIXIE."

"You can't tell me what to do, Edgey," you bought candied strawberries. You always found them easier to eat than apples.

"MAIDEN, YOU CAN LET MY LAZY BROTHER WALKING ON HIS OWN."

"What?" You looked over your shoulder and saw the bard still leaning on you, and you laughed "I'm so used to Stretch doing this that I barely noticed." You tapped his skull "Want strawberries, princess?" He opened his jaw and ate the rest of the strawberry you were eating.

"PAPY, DON'T MAKE THE MAIDEN FEED YOU!"

"YOU SHOULD NOT EAT UNHEALTHY THINGS LIKE THAT, DAMSEL."

"But food like this can only be found during festivities." You weren't sure if that was the case in The Peninsula or in Othein, but you weren't going to miss the chance in case it was as you said.

"hey, they have fries there."

"Where?!"

"SUGAR IS ENOUGH, WE WON'T ADD GREASE TO THAT."

"Edge, I promise I will eat all my food, so let me have some fries." You looked at him making puppy eyes.

"UGH, FINE."

"Thank you, Edge!" You were about to run, but remembered that Stretch was still leaning on you, "Stretch? Can you let me go, please?"

"no," still, you felt him move from your shoulders. 

"GO, MAIDEN, I'LL HANDLE PAPY."

"Sorry, Papy, the call for adventure fries is too strong," you saw him blush a bit. D'awww, he didn't expect you to call him that. "Let's go, Sansy!" you grab the wizard's hand and sprint to get you promised potatoes.

"woah, pixie, i didn't know you liked fries so much."

"Well, Sansy, I _tot_ ally love fries." Would you be able to outpun the pun master, today?

"it's good to know you aren't a _tater_ "

"Unlike, Edge, I _fry_ to eat a little bit of everything." You handed him his fries.

"thanks, spud" he started eating them and noticed his frown.

"Something on your mind?"

"just thinking there's something missing."

"Yeah, it is easier to find fries but... dipping sauces are so hard to find."

"it makes me look forward to finding grillbs."

"Your other missing friend?" you held your hair with your hand, the gales were strong near the port. 

"yeah, he makes the best ketchup you could ever drink."

"Drink?"

"yup."

"You drink ketchup?"

"yup."

"And I thought that Stretch drinking honey was incredible," you paused to think, you barely remembered the taste of ketchup, but it never struck you as something that you could actually drink. Could it have been for not trying tho? "Maybe I could give it a try."

"what?" Sans looked at you confused.

"That when we find your friend, maybe I could try to drink ketchup."

"huh? but humans never wanna try it."

"Good thing that I'm a Goliath then, right?" you winked and started moving, "Let's go, lazybones, we gotta _ketchup_ with the others."

"heheh, sure, we don't want edge to get _salty._ "

You walked noticing how everything started to get darker with each step. The Solar Eclipse had begun. The temperature started dropping fast, and the breeze was even faster, you felt the poncho moving everywhere, but your backpack kept it in place on the back. Sans got closer to you, his shoulder against yours. You were tempted to look at the sun but knew that without the proper protection, it would be bad for eyesight.

"MAIDEN, THE ECLIPSE IS STARTING!" You could hear Blue's voice over the wind.

But you heard another voice even louder.

"There they are! The girl with the skeletons!"

You reunited with the others, just in time to see a group approaching from Abristan. Multiple soldiers with green gauntlets, each with a golem behind them. And in the middle, a face you could recognize anywhere.

Elite.

Doppel Züngig's head butler and bodyguard in the flesh.

"Ah, Stretch. Madame Züngig had been looking for her bard."

"PAPY? WHO'S THAT?"

"tell züngig i'm not going back, elite."

You moved your hand towards your crossbow and started planning what to do. 

The laughter that came from Elite surprised you, they seemed so composed and quiet when you met them, "You don't understand, Stretch," you didn't like their reaction, it felt sinister, dark...

Malicious. 

"Madame Züngig is dead, bard."

You felt your body go cold, not only because of the weather. The cruel tabaxi you met was gone, but the knowledge of it didn't make you feel relieved. It was the opposite. 

Because even when she was gone, Elite was here.

"I have no use for you alive." They pointed at you "I'm just settling a personal score with the villain that ended the prosperity of The Dazzling City."

"You were the ones keeping him locked, what right do you have to treat him like a villain?!"

"Silence!" You saw the glint of something in their hand "All of you are wanted criminals, the death of Madame Züngig is on your hands, you are the ones to blame for her death. I lost everything because of you."

You felt Edge's hand get around your wrist, and pulling you behind, but you stayed firm in your place. Elite was absolutely delusional.

You see another guard pull a roll of parchment and read out loud "According to the law of The Golden Peninsula, The Ivory Brotherhood are declared official enemies of our twin city The Dazzling City of Tazziros. You are accused of aiding and abetting, terrorism, fraud, attempted murder, assault of law enforcement, kidnapping, and drug abuse."

You were about to protest, but Edge finally managed to pull you over his shoulder and turned to run towards the Othein gates, but another group of golems was approaching from that side. You were outnumbered. 

There was no escape.

"GUYS, FOLLOW ME!" Blue was the first to react. He sprinted towards the pier. You heard the instruction to shoot arrows, but you knew they weren't going to be able to shoot. You knew about ranged weapons and the wind was transversal to the direction they were trying to shoot. Regaining your senses, you tried to pull out of the paladin's grip, but he only tightened it. While you kept running.

"WE NEED TO REACH THAT!" Blue pointed to a ship that was tied to the pier. 

"YOU IMBECILE! YOU CORNERED US! WE CAN NOT REACH THAT PLACE. WE ARE SKELETONS!"

"WE CAN STILL REACH IT!"

"IT IS TOO FAR, AND WE CAN NOT SWIM!"

"SANS! FOLLOW MY LEAD" That was all Blue said before picking Stretch and disappearing in a flash.

"WHAT THE FU-" You could see in the distance how Stretch moved his arms from the ship, you couldn't see Blue.

"Sans, get Black to the ship, and hoist the sails!"

"they're too close! i refuse to leave edge and you behind."

"I WILL STAY AND FIGHT, I DO NOT RUN AWAY." Edge puts you back on the ground and turns to them.

"WE CAN GET THERE ON OUR OWN, JUST DO AS SHE SAYS!"

"but-"

"I have no time for this, Edge, let's do it!"

Both of you started running the closest you could to the ship, Black and Sans following you. The smell of smoke coming from behind you. And you just let yourself get surrounded by silvery mist.

And you appear in a small boat halfway from where the ship was. Edge appearing near you with the same mist dispersing. You turn to see where you can teleport next, there was another ship near the one where Stretch and Blue were waiting. It was the only other place you could get. Once more, both of you are surrounded by the mist.

* * *

Sans, observed how the mist surrounded you and the paladin, and he understood that there was a chance to leave. It was impossible that he and Black alone could survive the incoming attack. 

Yes, he could dodge physical attacks. But the magic was another deal. He had no choice but to trust you and Edge.

"we're leaving!" he got his arm around the monk's one and got inside the Void.

The distance was short, so they weren't there for too long. And at least Black didn't struggle during the trip.

But as soon as they appeared on the ship, he moved violently out of his grasp. 

"PEASANTS! WE NEED TO HOIST THE SAILS, ORDERS FROM OUR DAMSEL!"

"i'll do it!" Stretch moved fast.

"WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER?!"

"he fainted, he shouldn't teleport and he knows that." Stretch had no idea of the names of the things he was pulling, but the previous day he observed a man pulling the lines of a ship similar to this one. The only difference was that this one had three. 

* * *

You got on the ship next to the one you were going to board.

"Okay, we have to use Misty Step once more and we will get to the ship."

"I CAN'T DO IT AGAIN."

"What?!"

"I'M TRYING BUT I CAN'T."

"Ugh... You need to train more..." You looked around for an idea of what to do. But when you turned back, you saw how the pier where you were running moments ago was on fire. "Edge, are you good at climbing?"

"I'M THE BEST AT EVERYTHING I DO."

"Great! Because we will climb those sails and we are gonna use good ol' bolt n°3 with my wire to Tarzan our way to the other side."

"WHAT IS 'TARZAN'?"

"Just follow my lead and don't let go of me."

* * *

Stretch got two out of the three sails ready, and Black had the anchor. With this third sail undone, the ship would start moving at an incredible speed, he could feel it. But the line got stuck somewhere, and he couldn't see where.

The problem was that he couldn't see where his counterpart and you were. But what he saw was how Sans started chanting, book shining in his hand, near the edge of the ship.

At the same moment, the bard heard a thud on the nest of the mast where he was and noticed a very familiar rope. 

He also heard the scream of horror the paladin and the little pixie gave while balancing their way towards the ship.

"i'm _tided,_ completely exhausted," said the wizard and then he yelled, " ** _sea_** **you never!** " And a huge wave appeared, pushing back most of their enemies. Elite wasn't pushed, but they fell on the water. The golems remained in their place.

You and Edge pulled on the line that was stuck and managed to get the sail undone. Stretch secured it and before he could say anything, Black pulled up the anchor.

And the ship sailed, faster than you expected.

With your feet on the floor of the ship, the enraged scream in the background, and the feeling that danger was gone, you fell on your knees.

Edge sat down next to you. Stretch carried his brother over where you were and the other two Sanses sat in front of you.

You were sure that the only one that felt the adrenaline rush was you, you had no idea about what happened to Blue, and the eclipse wasn't done yet.

So you did the only thing you could.

Laugh.

You laughed out loud, with both arms over your stomach. You crawled towards Black and got your hand inside his backpack. All of the skeletons were confused. Even the one that was just opening his eyes.

With the bottle of wine in hand, opened, you gave it a chug.

"Holy Gnome Rage! We stole a ship!" And you laughed more, handing the bottle to the paladin, who followed your example with a smirk, "We are wanted criminals now! I can't believe it."

"my bro was the mastermind of this robbery," the bard took the bottle next and drank from it, "i said he was turning to a life of crime when we arrived at the peninsula."

"PAPY! I'M NOT A CRIMINAL!"

"i didn't know you had the guts for it."

The bottle kept going from hand to hand, each one of you drinking from it. You were celebrating. You didn't know why you started drinking.

"Wait, if I'm going to jail with a bunch of skeletons... does that mean we are gonna be imprisoned on the _rib cage?_ "

"MWAHAHAH."

"WOWZERS, BLACK, DID YOU LAUGH AT A PUN?!"

"N-NO!" He was starting to get colored a bit "I WAS LAUGHING AT HER POOR ATTEMPT AT COMEDY."

Oh, you knew why you were drinking. You were celebrating. 

You were wanted criminals, a tabaxi swore to fulfill their unfounded revenge against you, you couldn't go back home normally, your friends saw you use magic that you weren't ready to reveal yet.

But all of you survived. None of you with a single scratch.

"WHERE ARE WE GOING NEXT, LADY Y/N?"

"Eh? I don't know?" got to Edge's side and leaned your back on his side, "I don't know a thing about boats or ships." You started looking to the skeletons.

"don't look at me, it's my first time on a ship. i know about spaceships tho."

"i only knew how to hoist the sails i have no idea about sailing."

"I COULD NOT LEAVE MERRY TALE IN ALL THIS TIME, AND BARELY VISITED THE SURFACE A COUPLE OF TIMES, IT IS OUT OF MY SKILLS, BUT I'M SURE THAT I, THE MALEFICENT BLACK, CAN MASTER THE ART OF SAILING."

"DON'T WORRY, I'VE GOT THIS." Blue pointed to himself "I SURVIVED A SHIPWRECK ON A CRATE FOR WEEKS!"

You turned to the Paladin and looked into his sockets "Edgey, you need to contact Xylsis, as soon as possible!"

The only thing that could save you from the ship was some divine intervention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You heard it, pals! 
> 
> The Ivory Brotherhood have a price on their skulls. 
> 
> I will be uploading their "WANTED" posters very soon to the Tumblr lol  
> (If anyone has played Tales of Symphonia, you know what kind of poster it will be)
> 
> Trivia for this chapter:
> 
> \- Pixie's hair struggle while eating is based on something that used to happen to me all the time as a kid whenever we ate in the garden at my grandpa's house.
> 
> \- While writing the scene where the skeletons are following Pixie, Blue rolled a low number on stealth, but his deception roll wearing the grandma costume was a nat 20. It is the worst improvised costume ever, but his high charisma made up for it.
> 
> \- There was more than one escape route at the beginning. One through the Silent Sea, another through the northern gate and the last which was the Wayward Ocean one. The direction of the wind and the presence of the golems were the ones that made the skeletons choose the last one.
> 
> \- The enemies kept attacking, but it was too hard because of the strong wind and the inconvenient angle of the ship you were using to escape was covered by the other. Most of the attacks had a disadvantage because of the direction of the window. Burning the pier wasn't a good idea, because it was the only point where they could get a clear view of the ship without the other covering most of it.
> 
> \- Blackberry and Stretch knew how to hoist the sails after observing the ships, but have no idea on how to control a ship.
> 
> \- The whole party failed their navigation roll with the following numbers:  
> \- Reader/Pixie: 8  
> \- Sans: 8  
> \- Edge: 7  
> \- Stretch: 9  
> \- Blueberry: 1  
> \- Blackberry: 3
> 
> \- I spent my time reading only about ships for two days. In the end, I decided that it would be similar to a Fore and Aft Schooner, with a reduced number of cabins. I would go deeper on the description, but that's for the next chapter.


	18. Witty Fellow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After escaping successfully and unharmed, The Ivory Brotherhood was still in trouble. Without a single member knowing how to control a ship, they were left adrift, to the mercy of the wind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been brought to you by... Gerhard Trede, one of the composers for The SpongeBob Squarepants soundtrack.
> 
> Yes, I listened to a whole playlist of SpongeBob songs while writing this.
> 
> Don't judge me lol

The Solar Eclipse ended.

The bottle of wine was empty and left to the side.

The wind was going as strong as the moment you woke up in the morning.

The sun, shining down on you.

"y/n?" the bard called your name. You couldn't remember when was the last time he used your name. You were used to _honey_ or _honey prince_ and on rare occasions, Pixie.

"Yes?"

"why didn't you tell us you could use magic?"

You didn't even attempt to form an answer. You just kept your mouth shut and started biting your bottom lip. You knew that they would find out eventually because you were planning to tell them all about it once you were ready.

You didn't want to keep a secret from your friends, your teammates, your brotherhood.

But you weren't ready.

It wasn't like there was anything to be ashamed of, or that you hurt someone. You just didn't like that you learned to fight, that you were good at it, and that you could easily take on most people. You were a healer, not a fighter. It was the first time people knew the way you wanted, as an apothecary.

From your conversations with Edge, you knew the skeletons would be okay with the fact that you could heal them with magic, that didn't worry you.

The problem was telling them about it. You were so used to keeping it secret and you even promised to your mom to keep it secret.

"-ELL US, MAIDEN". What?

Did you get lost in your thoughts again?

"Can you please repeat what you said Blue?"

"I SAID THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL US, MAIDEN," he smiled at you softly "YOU HAVE YOUR REASONS, RIGHT?"

"Kind of," you sighed "I'm not ready yet."

"why not?" Sans had to be one of the most surprised, after all... you disappeared in the middle of a mist that appeared out of nowhere and that wasn't affected by the wind.

"Just a bit of everything," you started crossing hands and uncrossing them under the poncho, "Mainly because of a promise and... personal reasons."

"THEN WHY DOES HE KNOW?!" Black yelled pointing at Edge.

"IT'S NOT OF YOUR BUSINESS, IDIOTIC TYRANT," the paladin glared at the other high-heeled skeleton, "BUT I'LL DO YOU A FAVOR AND TELL YOU," he smirked, "I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE, KNOW ALL ABOUT IT BECAUSE HER MOTHER, DAME MANTHE, ENTRUSTED ME WITH HER SAFETY AND WANTED ME TO ASSIST HER IN ANY WAY I COULD."

"I had no idea he knew until he told me."

"WHAT MATTERS IS THAT THE MAIDEN WANTS TO TELL US, AND WE CAN ALL WAIT, RIGHT?"

"yeah, we can."

"INSTEAD OF ASKING QUESTIONS, WE SHOULD BE EXPLORING THE SHIP, BECAUSE THANKS TO YOU, BLUE PEST, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE WIND TO TAKE US SOMEWHERE." The paladin stood up and offered you his hand. Oh, he was giving you an exit. 

"You're right, Captain!" you held his hand and got up, "Let's find out what Blue stole."

"MAIDEN," he said almost whining "I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE TO STEAL IT, WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME BOAT HERE!"

"hehe, i sea what you did there."

You laughed but decided to get going.

The party decided to split. The ship was smaller compared to the one you jumped from moments ago, but you thought that perhaps this way you could figure out how to control the ship.

Stretch decided to stay on deck with Black. You thought the skeleton would go with you downstairs, but he refused to move from the mast he was leaning on. He mentioned something about studying how the wind worked with the sails. You left both to it and went with the other 3 skeletons downstairs.

There were two ways to go, one that would take you the front of the ship and the other to the back.

"I'LL GO TO THIS WAY," the tallest skeleton mentioned and chose the path back. You weren't sure if he wanted you to follow, but you preferred to go check the other side of the hallway. You saw another flight of stairs going down and it just sparked your curiosity.

"i'm going too, i wanna check the captain's cabin."

"Okay."

"THEN WE WILL GO THE OTHER WAY," stars appeared in Blue's eyes, maybe he shared the same need to explore as you did? The only thing you had clear was that whenever he was very happy about something, his pupils would turn into stars, "LET'S GO, MAIDEN!" He grabbed your hand and started walking fast.

You looked back and saw the wizard's back getting away, "Sans, don't give Edge a bad time with your puns, okay?" He just waved his hand at your words.

"MAIDEN, WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO FIRST?" He pointed forward "WE CAN GO THROUGH THAT DOOR," then to where your curiosity pulled you through, "OR THAT WAY."

You smirked, "Isn't it obvious?"

"DOWN, IT IS."

He walked down carefully and would help you step in the right places. It was incredibly dark downstairs yet you could see the outlines of boxes and barrels around you. The smell of different woods with some sweet and smokey notes.

"IS ANYONE HERE?"

"Blue, we are the only ones here..."

"YOU NEVER KNOW, MAIDEN," you saw how his blue lights moved, scanning the place, "MWEHEHEH! WAIT HERE, MAIDEN!"

He gave your hand a light squeeze and let go, the blue orbs out of your sight.

You heard a thunk coming from the direction Blue left.

"What was that?"

"JUST ME, DON'T WORRY!" After the latest events, that statement didn't reassure you at all.

"What are you doing?" you tried to walk but the only thing you got was a sharp pain in the knee that made you wince. You hit your leg right on the nerve. It was better if you wait right where you are.

The sound of wood bending got your attention. You recognized the sound from times where your dad would break wood to add to the fire. The thud of wood against wood and the little celebration cheer the cleric gave helped you deduce he opened one of the crates.

"MAIDEN, COME HERE! LOOK AT WHAT I FOUND!" 

"You'll need to take me there, I can't see too much."

"OH, THAT'S RIGHT! HUMANS NEED LIGHT TO SEE," You hear the clinking of his boots and see him get closer, "HERE, LET ME HELP WITH THAT." He placed one hand on your shoulder and the other over your elbow. His forehead touched yours and he closed his eyes.

"Should I do something?" How was this going to help?

"SHHH, I'M TRYING TO FOCUS, MAIDEN." You shut up, and not knowing what to do, you just started looking around. Blue's bandana had a bright color, even in the dark. It looked so soft, you wanted to touch it, or you should ask him if you could wear it. You hoped he would let you. 

Would he let you wear the radiant necklace too?

"Blue! Your necklace is shining!" he straightened up, his left eye shining with what you would call cyan sparks, ones that started appearing in your shoulders and finally made your poncho bright with a light of the same color as his magic.

"I DID IT!" Oh, so that's what he was doing.

"Is this the same spell Stretch used?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "HE TOLD ME IT IS A LIGHT CANTRIP, I WANTED TO LEARN IT IN CASE HE WASN'T AROUND TO HELP YOU FIND A LIGHT IN THE DARK."

"You learned it for me?"

"YES..." That was so sweet of him

"Blue, you truly are magnificent," you stepped around him, now being able to see, you could move freely, "now if you excuse me, I want to find out what did you find."

"OH," he cleared his throat "SURE, LEAD THE WAY, MAIDEN"

You giggled and got in front of the open crate, and on the inside, you found... rice. Just rice.

"Well, we won't be dying out of hunger any time soon."

"LET'S OPEN ANOTHER ONE," you saw him pull from under his cloak, the war-hammer.

One by one, you opened all the crates and barrels. The ship you were in was a merchant ship, with a small variety of things, but with a large number of it.

Large for a group of six as your was.

You found rice, wine, anise, flour, oats, black tea, coffee, oil, potatoes, sugar, cinnamon, cheese, and dry-cured ham. Meals were covered. They would be a bit boring, but at least you had some spices to twist them so they didn't feel too repetitive. 

There was nothing else in the crates or barrels, and Blue was extremely glad of that. Remembering his story, it made sense that he was worried there was someone else trapped inside a box.

The twist you felt deep in your gut was enough to stop you from thinking about it any longer.

* * *

"how did it go, honey?" It was dark outside, only the stars and the moon were lighting up the deck. It was good that they shone so much in Aklirim.

"It went great, we found the kitchen and enough food to survive here for months. Not that I want to be here that long."

"nyeheh, true."

"What did you find?"

"don't tell little caesars" Who's that? "that i told you that i saw him throw up."

"What?!" the bard covered your mouth.

"shhh, it was hilarious."

"Stretch, we are talking about someone feeling sick here!"

"GASP, BROTHER? ARE YOU OK?" the small skeleton started turning his brother around, opening his sockets, his jaw, "LET ME CHECK YOUR STATS, PAPY."

"i'm okay, bro" Ah, yes, the embarrassment that comes from family showing their love and care for a grown-up. You wish you could say you understood the feeling, but you enjoyed the attention from your parents. It made you feel loved.

"THEN WHO'S SICK?"

"He said that Little Caesars was sick."

"WHO'S LITTLE CAESARS?"

"what's with little caesars?" Sans appeared from behind Edge.

"LITTLE CAESARS IS SICK, SANS!"

"who's little caesars?"

"THE DETESTABLE DICTATOR IS SICK?"

"yup."

"NYAHAHAH, HE DESERVES IT."

"Wait, you know who he's talking about?"

"YES, THE CARMINE CATASTROPHE," You tilted your head "BLACK, YOU UNAWARE PIXIE." Oh, the newbie.

"Stretch, where's Black?"

"he passed out, so i left him over there" he pointed behind him.

"Sans? Did you find the cabin?"

"yup, and there are three rooms. the captain's, and two rooms with two bunk beds each."

"Excellent, I'll take Black there to rest." You left them there and strode in the direction the bard told you, where you found near the front, his carmine shape curled up on the floor, "Black?" he didn't move. You called out his name a couple more times, but he didn't respond. You decided to get closer, announcing your presence. "Black, it's me (Y/n)," you pulled the cloak away from his face delicately, "you know, Damsel?" There was no answer, "I'm going to carry you to one of the rooms, to rest on a bed."

You carried him in your arms, and you noticed two things... a strange purplish-red goop in the corner of his mouth, and the strong grip of his arms around you.

"NO, NO, DO NOT MOVE!"

"Black, you're sick, you need to rest properly."

"I AM NOT SICK AND I DO NOT NEED HELP, NOT EVEN FROM YOU, DAMSEL."

"Uh-huh..." You gave one step to each side and felt him squeeze you tighter.

"STOP THAT!" Okay, that confirmed your suspicion.

"Listen, what you're going through is called motion sickness, it is normal."

"BEING SICK IS NOT NORMAL."

"What I mean is that it is more common than you think," you frowned at him "And it doesn't go away without help."

"I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF."

"And I'm not questioning that, I'm just saying-" you arrived at the door leading downstairs, Blue approaching to open the door for you, "- that I can make you feel better."

"M-MAIDEN?!" You saw the cleric's skull shining bright.

"Blue, please be quiet, I'm carrying a patient," you continued to walk through the unknown part of the hallway, "I don't know if it will work, but I'll prepare an infusion for you." You stopped in front of a door, "A little help, Mr. Blue?"

"OH, RIGHT. SURE," He opened the door, and you walked in with Black and left him on the first bed you saw. 

"I'm going to the kitchen, I'm going to prepare something like for you to eat, your nausea infusion, that I hope works, and you're going to rest, is that understood?" 

"YOU ARE NO ONE TO GIVE ME ORDERS," you were going to argue that you were the most knowledgeable one when it came to healing, "BUT I WILL ALLOW YOU TO SERVE ME TONIGHT." 

"Thank you." Turning around, you asked the other skeleton in the room "Could you please keep a socket on him? I promise I won't be gone for so long."

"O-OF COURSE, MAIDEN! YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE."

"Thanks, Blue, you are a true friend."

* * *

A rhythmic knocking made you open your eyes.

Someone was out of your room. Well, the Captain's cabin. After eating a meal yesterday (the things you prepared for the picnic) you spent your time in the monk's room waiting for him to fall asleep. You thought he would have a hard time trying to fall asleep, so you asked if he would need help to sleep, but he started babbling about how his sleep schedule was too important to mess it up, and just when you were getting ready for him to explain why he was already asleep and snoring.

That didn't keep you from checking on him during the night just in case.

You walked and opened the door, not bothering to ask who was it, the only ones in the ship were you and the skeletons after all, and you were presentable.

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO ASK WHO'S THERE, MAIDEN."

"Mhmm" You felt exhausted, "Morning."

"GOOD MORNING," how nice would it be to have that much energy, "SINCE YOU DIDN'T GET UP EARLY WE DECIDED TO COOK BREAKFAST FOR YOU!"

"Oh, sweet."

Wait, breakfast?

"Who cooked what?"

"BLACK, EDGE AND I," a feeling of dread invaded your body for a moment, waking you up completely, "EDGE WAS PACING IN FRONT OF YOUR DOOR, AND WHEN I ASKED HIM WHY HE SAID YOU DIDN'T GET UP YET, THEN BLACK CAME OUT OF HIS ROOM AND WALKED TO THE KITCHEN, SO I FOLLOWED HIM AND ASKED WHAT HE WAS DOING AND HE SAID HE WAS GONNA MAKE BREAKFAST."

"I see... Did you wake up Sans and Stretch by any chance? I'm sure they'll want some breakfast too." 

"THOSE TWO LAZYBONES CAN GET THEIR BREAKFAST, TODAY, LET US TREAT YOU."

With a heavy heart and a bad feeling, you nodded. Goodbye, cabin, it may be the last time you see each other. 

If you ever wondered if food could smell both bad and appetizing, the answer was yes. It was possible and that's what you were sensing from the kitchen. But seeing how enthusiastic Blue was, you knew there was no escape from this. At least not one without hurting their feelings. 

You straightened your back and walked feeling determined. You've had the worst poisons before.

The door opened before you could even reach out for it.

"LADY Y/N, I SEE YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE."

"Good morning, Edgey, how was your sleep?"

"WITH YOU OPENING THE DOOR EVERY 40 TO 50 MINUTES?" you lifted your eyebrow, the same way your mom did, " IT WAS AN EXCELLENT SLEEP."

"Sorry about that, but I couldn't sleep without checking if our patient was okay," you looked at the skeleton who was sitting at the table "How are you feeling by the way?"

"I AM PERFECTLY FINE," with the way he was swaying, you doubted it but you preferred to keep your mouth shut, "SIT DOWN, DAMSEL, YOU HAVE MADE ME WAIT LONG ENOUGH AS IT IS."

"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM, MAIDEN, HE'S STILL GRUMPY BECAUSE HE'S SICK."

"I AGREE WITH THE PESTILENT NINCOMPOOP," ninco-what now? "THE TYRANIC IMP HAS BEEN IN A BAD MOOD ALL MORNING."

"BUT WE DON'T CARE ABOUT IT NOW, BECAUSE TODAY WE'RE GOING TO TREAT YOU LIKE A QUEEN!" He grabbed your hand and walked you to the table, where Edge pulled a chair out for you.

"A TALL BIRD," the cleric winked (saying the word out loud too) at the paladin earning a facepalm from him, "TOLD US THAT YOU LOVED PANCAKES FOR BREAKFAST, SO WE DECIDED TO TREAT YOU AND GET YOU AS THE JUDGE FOR OUR LITTLE CONTEST ON WHO CREATED THE BEST ONE." 

Three plates were placed in front of each of you. One with a half-burnt pancake with pieces of... something. A golden and bumpy looking one with nothing special. And a brown one drizzled with... something purple.

Oh boy.

"GO AHEAD, DAMSEL, AND TELL THESE TWO I AM THE BEST CHEF HERE."

"Can I know who made each one?"

"NOPE, YOU'LL HAVE TO FIND OUT BY YOURSELF MAIDEN."

You grabbed the fork and ignored the knife at your side. You decided to start with the half-burnt one, cutting a piece just with the pressure of the fork. Not able to guess what the little bits on it were, you decided to go for it.

And you almost spit in that place. The person who made that pancake added rice and anise to it making it crunchy, and it was salty. Extremely salty. It was like the skeleton who made it grabbed the salt and replaced half of the flour with it, and another quarter with sugar.

Somehow, you managed to swallow it without throwing up. You grabbed the glass of water that was beside you, washing most of the salt from your mouth.

You decided to go for the bumpy golden one. It looked like the best of the three and the safest option. If you were honest, it may have been better to save it for last to take the flavor of the other two out of your mouth, but you needed something to calm down your poor traumatized tongue.

Of all the times you got poisoned from drinking infusions made of unknown plants, none were bad enough to scare your palate this way.

"I'll try them all and review them later, okay?"

You didn't wait for a reply, you just cut a piece of the bumpy pancake, finding why it was bumpy.

It had little potato pieces and ham. A savory pancake maybe?

You ate the piece you cut eagerly. The pancake brought actual tears to your eyes.

You felt betrayed. The potato was still raw, and you couldn't taste the ham because the mixture murdered it. If the other one was too salty, the skeleton who cooked this one just discovered sugar. It was sickeningly sweet, but not sweet like eating raw sugar, no. It brought you memories from your childhood, of those horrible jelly cups your parents bought. The ones that were a choking hazard. You didn't remember the brand, but it tasted like eating sweet glue.

Just like this imposter pancake.

You gulped the other half of your water. Now there was no way to wash down the flavor of the third one.

This was the last one... And the weirdest looking one.

"Thanks for everything, guys." The skeletons looked at you confused.

You cut a piece of the last pancake aggressively. If you were going to die, you were going to go down bravely!

And... it wasn't bad. The pancake had a sweet and slightly bitter hint at the end, the one you would get from brewing tea for too long. And the purple substance, it was a wine and cinnamon sauce that was slightly burnt, but not bad. You would say it was a bit smokey.

You kept eating it until it was completely gone. It didn't fill you up, but it got your tongue to forgive you from almost killing it.

"The winner was the one I just ate."

"WHAT?! BUT MINE ACTUALLY BROUGHT YOU TO TEARS, I EARNED THE MOST PASSIONATE EXPRESSION FROM YOU, MAIDEN!" He was the one to cook?!

"NYAHAHAH VICTORY BELONGS TO ME!" oh, so it was Edge the one who cooked the last one "NO ONE CAN DEFEAT THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE'S CULINARY GENIUS."

"YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING! MY PANCAKE WAS A MASTERPIECE!"

"I'm not joking," you bit your lip because what you were going to say next would be a bit harsh "Has any of you cooked a pancake before?"

"NO." It was a collective reply.

"Did you know what a pancake was?" The only one who answered negatively was Black.

"Did you taste what you cooked or asked someone to taste it for you?"

"OF COURSE, I DID." The paladin was the one to say it.

"Black, Blue, my dear bandana-wearing skeletons... You need to taste what you are cooking, and follow a recipe if you don't know what is the thing you're asked to cook," you sighed, "How did you even manage to make them look like pancakes?"

"I FOLLOWED WHAT HE" Black pointed at Edge "WAS DOING, HE SABOTAGED ME, I KNOW IT!"

"Black... look into my eyes," he frowned but did as you said, "Follow my hand, only with your pupils," you started moving your hand between your faces to your right, the direction of his scarred socket. And... he moved his head. 

Now, with enough evidence, you could finally tell what was going on.

"Black, you're half-blind from one eye, right?"

"M-MY EYESIGHT IS PERFECT!"

"Then why if you were imitating what Edge was doing... you confused the salt with the flour?" He flinched at it. You didn't want to call him out like that, but it was better to address it now. "I have the theory that your seasickness has something to do with your eye. For humans and other humanoids, it is linked to their hearing, but since you don't have ears... It had to be another sense."

"THAT MADE HIM MAKE HIS PANCAKES SALTY THEN?"

"Yup. I would recommend observing the sea movement for a while, it may help to get used to the motion."

"HOW COULD YOU BE CAPTAIN OF YOUR GUARD LIKE THAT?"

"I GOT STRONG ENOUGH FOR IT NOT TO BE A LIABILITY." He smiled proudly, "NOT EVEN THAT COULD STOP THE MALEFICENT BLACK FROM RISING TO THE TOP." His statement made you smile too because you knew that feeling from your first years in Aklirim. You wanted to be equal to the other Goliaths, you wanted to earn your place as the next leader of the Dynasty, even if you were an apothecary and didn't want to fight.

You wanted to be strong enough to defend yourself and others. Be strong enough to be able to refuse a fight.

"You're admirable for that!" You beamed at him.

"MWAHAHAH, INDEED I AM."

"EHEM," the blue-eyed skeleton looked at you "MAIDEN, WHY DIDN'T I WIN? I COULD SEE YOU LIKED IT THE MOST."

"My dear Mr. Blue Sky..." you made a small pause before continuing, "You added too much sugar to the mixture and the potatoes were raw."

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?"

"It can cause a stomachache on humans," you sighed "Humans are really sensitive to food, we're delicate on the inside, too much sugar, too much salt, too much fat, many things can make us develop health problems," the three gasped "Don't worry, one bite won't be bad for anybody, too much sugar may cause lie bumps tho."

"WHAT ARE THESE _LIE BUMPS_?" the tall skeleton asked.

"Small bumps that appear in your tongue from eating too much sugar, they are really uncomfortable and sometimes painful, but they go away on their own."

"ARE YOU GOING TO GET THEM BECAUSE OF MY PANCAKE?" he looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"Oh, no, no, no" you didn't mean to make Blue cry, "It was just a small amount, so it is okay."

"ARE YOU SURE?"

"One hundred percent," you exhaled when you saw his watery orbs go back to normal... the shapeshifting of them will always be a mystery, "I'm really sorry for telling you this, but I'm not the kind of person who would lie to the ones I care for." You scratched your face with your index finger "And since we are wanted criminals together, we'll be traveling together for a time so... I'll need you to understand some human stuff, just like I want to understand more about magic monster skeleton things."

"I'LL PROVIDE YOU WITH ALL THE INFORMATION YOU NEED, FOR I'M THE MOST RELIABLE AND TRUSTWORTHY SOURCE WHEN IT COMES TO SKELETONS, LADY Y/N."

"Hmm? You just cursed yourself, Captain," you smiled challenging "If you let me start asking questions, I won't stop."

"WE'LL ALL REPLY YOUR QUESTIONS, YOU DON'T NEED TO RELY ONLY ON EDGE FOR THAT, MAIDEN, WE'RE ALL GOING TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND MONSTERKIND BETTER."

"BEFORE THAT, I DEMAND TO KNOW WHY HE WON."

"The idea was good, it wasn't too sweet, the technique was the one of a first-timer, but it was delivered well," you turned to the tall skeleton "Where did you learn to make pancakes?"

"IN YOUR HOUSE THE MORNING AFTER WE MET."

"Oh! I forgot that you saw me cooking that day!" Everything made sense now.

"YOU COULDN'T EVEN START THE FIRE THAT MORNING WITHOUT MY HELP," he smirked, "AND YOU'RE STILL MAKING ME HELP YOU WITH TRIVIAL TASKS."

"Hey! Don't make me remind you who was the one that cooked for everyone the past few months."

* * *

You were on deck, looking at the Wayward Ocean, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the wind when Sans and Stretch woke up. A couple of meters away from you, Black was hanging on the railing trying to get used to the sea.

"water you doing, pixie?"

"Just sight-sea-ing." The wizard chuckled.

"nyeh, don't start with your puns," Stretch said while pulling out a cigarette. 

"Awww... why not, Princess?"

"my royal ears can't handle that kind of language, my prince." You laughed at his dramatic reply.

"hey, i've been wondering, why do you call each other that?"

"because she saved me."

"Yeah, he was like a princess locked in a castle guarded by an evil witch and her pet dragon."

"edge is the knight that keeps intervening in our interactions."

"what a nosey knight, right?"

You giggled "He doesn't have a nose, Sans!"

"right," he stayed quiet for a bit "at least he isn't blackhearted as the edgier sans on this ship."

"ugh, you're as bad as my bro."

You decided to change topics a bit, to spare the bard from more jokes "So... what're you two doing here?"

"i wanted to spend time with you, honey." 

His honesty and lack of hesitation warmed your heart, "It makes me really happy that you want to spend time with me." You kept your eyes on the ocean "And you Sans?"

"same as you," he leaned over the railing, "i was thinking about how much papyrus would've loved this."

"Your brother?"

"yeah," he smiled "when we were younger, papyrus and i, as well as other monsters, would go to the dump in waterfall," your attention was on Sans now. It had been a while since he talked about his brother this much, "humans would throw their garbage and it would arrive at the underground." The youngest Sans on board had a nostalgic look. One that you didn't get to see in the other skeletons, and probably the reason why he seemed (puns and all) the most mature. "for us monsters, that garbage dump was a box of surprises. every year, i would do my best to find an action figure for gyftmas, for santa to give it to papyrus," he looked to you "now, the reason why papyrus would love it, was because our friend, undyne, found a pirate flag at the dump. papyrus loved it, so i helped him patching it up and he hung it up on his room." He gave a deep chuckle "that flag led him to think that humans descended from skeletons" you smiled sweetly at that, Papyrus sounded so fun and precious. It made you look forward to finally meeting him. 

"what happened after you reached the surface?"

"he found out about pirates, and during his spare time from being the monster mascot, he would read stories about them or any other fantasy stories he found," you saw it and you felt how his smirk fell, "i'm sure he was even more prepared for this world than i was."

"Your brother sounds cool, Sans. I'm looking forward to hearing him tell us all his adventures and about those stories he read."

"he's the coolest."

"i'm sure we'll find him soon," Stretch looked into the horizon, "i'm sure my bro will like to hang out with him."

"yeah," the wizard yawned "well... it is time for me to take a break."

"A break from what?"

"from taking a break."

You rolled your eyes at him, "I'll go with you, tonight is the meteor shower and I want to be wide awake for it."

"if you guys are gonna nap, then i'll join too."

"Oh! We should nap in the Captain's Cabin! He has a huge bed, and there is enough space for us three... or maybe the six of us."

"nyeheheh, i won't say no to you, honey"

"lead the way, pixie." And so you walked to your room with the two skeletons.

* * *

It was night time, after dinner and all of you were waiting for the main event of the night. Holding half-empty cups of warm mulled wine, sitting on the deck in a nest of blankets and pillows from all the rooms.

Earlier, Blue had the idea of making a pillow fort. You never made a pillow fort before, so you were excited about it and told him that he should let you check the weather first, so you used the same cantrip as the previous day. All the skeletons looked at the bright golden orb that appeared from your hands and popped out of existence without a change. You explained that, since you weren't ready to talk about your magic, you would try to show them some things gradually.

In the end, the fort didn't last for too long, thanks to your clumsiness of the moment when you got back inside the fort with a cup of the steaming hot beverage.

Everyone was looking at the sky, you could feel their anticipation for the event. And you couldn't wait to show them what you had for it. Maybe for magic skeletons, it wouldn't be interesting, but it was the most magical thing you learned to make.

You learned many things in the forest, from your mother, from nature, and from other beings.

You hoped your little present would reveal good things for them.

"HOW CAN THERE BE THREE ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS AT ONCE?"

"The highest and mightiest deities of them all make it happen. Souheth, the Death Herald, brings a solar eclipse, the sun is considered the one to bring life so he covers it showing us that life ends. Aklirim, the Astral Sentinel, makes a meteor shower, some say it is because they are grateful towards the people so they give us stars as a gift. And last but not less important, Aethisia, the Life Champion, brings to us a lunar eclipse, the moon represents death in Aklirim, so she covers it as a way to say death is not the end of the cycle."

"WHAT DOES IT MEAN IS NOT THE END?"

"Reincarnation, maybe?"

"reincarnation or life after death in a different plane of existence."

"What Sans said." You didn't know how to explain it... You spent your time learning the basics and going deeper about the topics that were more interesting for you. Still, it was embarrassing that someone that has been a bit over a year in Aklirim knew more than you.

"i tried to determine if it was a magical or astronomical event."

"AND WHAT WERE THE RESULTS GREAT WIZARD SANS?" 

"completely magical, they cause the events to happen at their will."

"It's incredible that you could do that," you gave him a thumbs up, "as expected of our scholar!"

"what? you didn't question it when you arrived?"

"No? I accept things as they come. That's why I never freaked out when I saved you from the river. Magic and unexpected things happen all the time in Aklirim. Demons, dragons, sorcerers, deities that grant you power, creatures from other planes, that happens all the time. It just felt like too much at the time. And later, I was used to it."

"THAT MEANS YOU ADAPTED TO THIS WORLD, MAIDEN, AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN ADMIRE."

"Everything holds a bit of magic here, feeling it was the hardest part for me since I didn't know about it when I arrived," you swore that you saw a line in the sky, "With the help from-" another line "It's starting!"

The whole party set their gazes on the starry sky, the shooting stars going fast, with the clearest view of them. Silence fell above you all, only broken from the light sips you gave to the wine.

If it wasn't because you already knew he saw them before, you would've counted Sans in the same group as the others. Their skulls were filled with amazement at the display. For you, it was the eleventh time, so you took your time not only admiring the show, but also the expressions of your friends.

"Legends say that if you wish upon a shooting star, your wish will come true," you didn't see them move from their place, nod, or even blink yet you knew that they acknowledged what you said. Your wish was for the health and safety of the ones that were with you, the ones who weren't and for their friends and families. The people you cared, and the ones they cared for. Your wish was the same every year, but this time it felt even more meaningful. Three siblings and one friend were who knows where in Aklirim and you could only wish for their safety.

You got up from the place you were and grabbed the box you left around before. Six cylinders were inside. You knew that the meteor shower would cease soon, it was a beautiful and ephemeral event, and that's what made it worth looking forward to.

...

The confusion that invaded their faces minutes after the shooting stars stopped, which made you chuckle softly. It happened to you the first time too. You just kept looking not believing it was over. 

"Next year there'll be more, you know?"

"WE HAVE TO WAIT A WHOLE YEAR FOR IT TO HAPPEN AGAIN?" Blue sounded so sad about it.

"For this one, yes, but there'll still be shooting stars appearing in normal days, less frequently, so you'll be lucky if you see one in another day."

"WHAT DO YOU HAVE THERE?" asked Black, his expression showing how sleepy he was. He looked like he was fighting off his reflex to falling asleep.

"This is a gift for each one of us," you smiled at the box, "It is a very special thing I spend at least six months preparing. The ingredients need to be kept in special conditions, one of them requires at least a week of humming or singing," you didn't stop to explain when one asked why "These little beauties have been popular for five years in the Dynasty because I was the one to first make them there."

"THAT IS WHAT YOU WERE TALKING TO THE HUMAN COOK ABOUT." 

"Yes, indeed, my unmasked skeleton," you opened the box revealing the cylinders "I call them Foresight Dragons."

"WHAT ARE THEY, TINY PIXIE?"

"Very special fireworks," you smile "They can reveal something about your future, like people you will meet, or something that you will find."

"you think they work, pixie?"

"I know they do, for five years they have accurately predicted things. Not exactly as they are shown," your face scrunched up a bit "If you see a round shape explode on someone's face, making it disappear, it can be fruit, it is not the spell fireball or an explosive." You'll never stay under a peach tree ever again. "Anyway, who wants to try it first?"

"OH, OH, OH! I WANT TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO TRY!"

"Be my guest then." You saw him approach you, and you explained how he should hold it while you ignited it so that he didn't get burnt. 

You saw the little spark rising, disappearing for a moment, only for a cyan dragon to shoot up towards the sky. It was made of the same sparks as any other firework, but it moved. It made a circle in the air and turned into a flight of stairs, and at the top of it, there was a cloaked figure in front of a fire.

And the vision disappeared.

It was the first time you saw something like that.

"WHAT IN XYLSIS NAME WAS THAT?"

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?"

"UN'JAH IS THE GOD OF CLAIRVOYANCE, YOU DOLT!"

"OH, RIGHT. I SUPPOSE I CAN ASK HIM NEXT TIME HE," you saw him move his orbs side to side "ISN'T SO BUSY."

"Maybe we should see what each firework shows us, and if we don't know, Blue can ask his deity."

"LET US CONTINUE WITH MY PREDICTION, I AM SURE IT WILL BE MORE IMPRESSIVE AND PUZZLING THAN YOURS." It was not a competition, but the monk surely made it sound like it.

He followed your instructions, this time a dragon colored with carmine and purple was the one to reveal the future. In it, a familiar-looking skeleton appeared and the gasp that came from Black was enough to let you know it was his brother, his Papyrus. 

You could see his profile, holding a brush, painting. It was calming, at least until the view changed, revealing a huge mouth with big teeth and smoke coming out of it, and a spiky hand over the skeleton's shoulder articulating some words to which the skeleton nodded and smiled.

"WHEN IS THIS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN?!" 

"I don't know."

"MY BROTHER IS IN DANGER AND YOU DO NOT KNOW?" he was angry, and he had all the right to be, but you didn't know.

"HE DIDN'T LOOK IN DANGER TO ME," Edge intervened "HE NODDED AND SMILED TO WHAT THAT CREATURE WAS SAYING, AND YOU SHOULD REMEMBER THAT NOT EVERYTHING IS LITERAL IN THERE. MAYBE IT IS JUST A HORRIBLE LOOKING BEING."

"YOU SAID YOU EXCHANGED LETTERS WITH YOUR BROTHER! I'M SURE HE IS OKAY, BLACK."

You saw him fuming, his shoulders moving up and down with each deep breath he gave. You tried to approach to comfort him, try to calm him down, but he just bolted downstairs.

You were going to follow, but Sans' hand on your shoulder stopped you.

"give him space," he squeezed your shoulder reassuringly, stopping your protests before you started "he'll think better after sleeping."

"he's right, honey, he was already moody because he wanted to sleep."

"LET US FOCUS ON THE NEXT DRAGON, LADY Y/N."

"You still want to see the next one?"

"IT'LL GIVE US THE UPPER HAND IF WE LEARN THE MEANING BEHIND THEM, THE MORE WE KNOW THE BETTER."

"we still have 4 fireworks left."

"i wanna see what mine shows, honey."

"A-are you sure?" You hesitated, now you felt a bit worried about what they would show.

"yup."

"OH, LET ME HELP YOU PAPY! I CAN SHOW YOU THE WAY!" the cleric took a cylinder from you, and explained to his brother fast what to do, and started it before you could even say another word.

An orange sparky looking dragon appeared, but instead of circling, it spread its wings before disappearing. 

The familiar face of Mr. Lost appeared, his characteristic Cheshire smile present as always, he was holding a card, that when he turned it, made him disappear and show your father holding the same one, and finally five different hands appeared, holding the same card.

"Sans, Blue! Did you see?! It was my dad, there! The Goliath," you didn't realize how much you missed your parents. You knew you did, but you didn't know you missed them enough to get so hyped just for a vision.

"THAT'S YOUR DAD?"

"eggath and mr. lost."

"SIR EGGATH, FOR YOU, DISRESPECTFUL CIGARETTE."

"PAPY, YOU NEED TO BE MORE POLITE ABOUT HOW YOU TREAT PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE MAIDEN'S FATHER!" 

"have you seen that card before, pixie?"

"No?"

"YOU THINK THEY ARE PLAYING CARDS TOGETHER, MAIDEN?"

"Probably? I've never seen dad playing cards before." Edge took out his journal, who knows from where, and started taking notes, probably on what he just saw.

"POCKET COMEDIAN, YOU ARE UP NEXT."

"i thought you would give it a try first."

"I'LL TAKE NOTES OF IT, SO DON'T MAKE ME REGRET LETTING YOU GO FIRST."

"uh... what about you, pixie? wanna go first?" 

"If you don't mind, sure." You knew that Sans was stalling for time. Maybe he doesn't want to know what it could reveal.

You grabbed the firework, the green and blue dragon that was revealed to you the past five years appeared once more, this time blowing fire.

From the flames, you saw how an ax was thrown at you, and yourself dodging it rolling in the ground, in your hands, you held two crossbows and were wearing a half-plate armor. 

"Forget that!" You were a blushing mess. It had been so long since you wore an attire like that, and suddenly, it was displayed in front of your friends like nothing.

"I REFUSE." Edge was moving his pen faster than you ever saw before. How much was he even writing from that!?

"YOU LOOKED SO COOL! AVOIDING THAT AX ROLLING-"

"Hush, Blue! Don't repeat it!" It was embarrassing enough that one was taking notes and that all of them saw you.

"so that's the usual?" said the bard.

"What?"

"you told blue you exercised with your parents," You tried hard to remember when you said that, but couldn't, "and when stretch asked if you learned to use a crossbow from them, you said yes, for fishing." Intervened Sans.

"Yeah, dad wanted to make sure I could get food anywhere," you raised your eyebrow in confusion, "What about it?"

"just wondering about a couple of things."

"Okay."

"LADY Y/N, I'M READY TO BE THE NEXT ONE."

"But I thought Sans was next."

"HE MISSED HIS CHANCE, NOW IT IS MY TURN."

You shook your head at that, but you didn't question it. 

The next dragon was a vermillion one, that set itself on fire. 

It took you just one glance to know it was his brother the one in there. He was sitting, laughing at something, hitting his knee in the process, only to grab a tankard on his side and drinking for it to offer it to whoever he was talking to.

"THAT USELESS BROTHER OF MINE!" Edge stomped on the floor, "WITHOUT ME AROUND HE DOESN'T DO ANYTHING. I HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO FIND HIM BECAUSE HE'S SLACKING!"

"come on, edge, i'm sure he's looking for you," the wizard said.

"IT DIDN'T LOOK LIKE IT." Oh...

"Edgey, listen to me," You set one hand on his boney arm, "I'm sure he was looking for you, that must be from... after he finds you. I'm sure of it." You weren't, but you hoped it was.

"he knows no one can deal with you for too long, skeletor."

"PAPY, BE NICE!" the oldest sibling cleared his throat "BUT HE IS RIGHT, YOUR BROTHER WILL LOOK FOR YOU. THAT'S WHAT US OLDER BROTHERS DO!"

"We'll be with you for that moment, relax."

"I CAN'T RELAX," he scowled "NOT WITH A BROTHER LIKE THAT. IT IS UP TO ME, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE TO SET THINGS STRAIGHT!"

"That's the Edge my parents raised."

"THEY DIDN'T."

"just admit it, skullmageddon, you're her adopted brother." The cylinder in the hands of Edge snapped in two pieces, and he threw one at the bard only to miss his target. But the paladin wasn't one to give up, so he started chasing him through the deck, leaving you with the two Sanses.

"hey, pixie, throw me a bone here," he showed you the cylinder that you didn't notice him taking. 

"Are you sure?"

"yup," he smiled a wide and fake smirk, "maybe it'll tell me what i'll have for lunch."

Unlike him, you weren't going to put him on the spot. Still, you suspected a bit of what he wanted to see.

A light blue dragon with yellow sparks appeared. You could be honest and say how much you liked each of the dragons of that day. Each had a color that represented and suited them well.

It spread its wings, soaring to the sky, only to plummet and reveal, Sans' brother, Papyrus. An excited skeleton posed heroically as if telling the stories of a great feat. Then you saw an exasperated look on his face and saw him start stomping on the place he was. 

Sans' deep chuckle at the end, brought your attention back to him.

Only to not be able to find him. You searched for him with your gaze all over the deck, but you weren't able to find him. Blue just shook his head disapprovingly and gave you a soft smile and a squeeze in the shoulder.

What you wished to be a nice surprise, one in which all of you could spend your time bonding over what the dragons showed didn't go as expected. You ended upsetting three of the skeletons and that's the last thing you wanted.

With a heavy heart and a guilty conscience, you started cleaning up. There was nothing else to do if the skeletons didn't want to talk.

* * *

Aethisia's Day, a day to prepare for new beginnings. The last transition day and your least favorite. It was a cleanup day. You weren't lazy and you loved cleaning up but doing it after two days of celebration was just exhausting. You always wondered if someone just said it was a day to clean to make sure no one spent the time celebrating after the year started.

It didn't matter why in the end, because you were going to do it. You would make this ship look like gold after you were done with it.

You woke up earlier than the previous day and immediately made your way towards the kitchen to start breakfast and keep the energetic trinity from pulling you into another cookoff.

You brewed for yourself a pot of coffee, even knowing that you weren't one to drink the bitter beverage, but it was an exception with the drop of temperature in autumn. You poured one cup after the other, cooking and ignoring everything else making a mental list of all the places you needed to clean up. The ship is bigger than your home, which was already huge for you, intimidated you. Just thinking about all you would need to clean on your own, how you didn't have an idea of how to reach most of them just made you sigh.

"WHY ARE YOU SIGHING SO EARLY?"

You nearly dropped your fourth cup of coffee, you turned around and found Black. Interacting with you. Talking to you. Asking about why you sighed.

"I thought you were mad at me." Subtleness didn't exist for you in this caffeinated morning.

"LISTEN, TRUTHHEART," oh no, he used your last name, "I AM STILL MAD AT HOW IRRESPONSIBLE YOU ARE. YOU HAVE NOT BEEN TAUGHT ABOUT HOW DANGEROUS IS TO DEAL WITH THEM." Dangerous? Them? "FORTUNETELLERS, PSYCHICS, SYMBIOTES," Sym-what? "FAERIES, STRIPPERS," A what?! "AND MANY OTHER CREATURES THAT CAN MANIPULATE YOUR MIND. YOU WERE FOOLED BY ONE OF THEM, SO TALK! CONFESS WHO WAS THE ONE THAT PROVIDED YOU WITH THE FUTURE TELLING DEVICES!"

You didn't know if he was serious, but he started talking so fast and for so much time that it gave you time to brew another pot of coffee, and even the other four skeletons got up. And every time one would open their mouths a bit to talk about it, he would tell you to stay silent or make you sit back in your chair.

...

"-AND THAT IS WHY ALUMINUM FOIL IS NOT EFFECTIVE AGAINST MIND CONTROL," you blinked slowly, trying to process what he said, but you failed, you weren't able to retain any of the words he said the past couple of hours, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW, DAMSEL?"

You nodded, slowly, hoping it was credible. 

"I CAN NOT BELIEVE HOW NO ONE TOLD YOU ABOUT ALL THIS BEFORE," HE HUFFED, "BE PREPARED FOR OUR NEXT LESSON."

"What next lesson?" 

"I WILL EXPLAIN TO YOU ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ALIENS. AS THE PERSON I LIKE, YOU HAVE TO BE READY FOR ANY KIND OF DANGER AT ANY MOMENT."

"Sorry, but we'll need to leave it here for today," and hopefully forever "It is Aethisia's Day and the cleanup has to be done."

"DID YOU SAY CLEANING, MAIDEN?" So now someone speaks, but when you were getting a lecture on... mind control? No one said a single thing.

"Yes, you clean everything before the 1st day of Paint Stroke, to prepare for new beginnings."

"THAT IS FANTASTIC! I WILL ASSIST YOU WITH THIS, MAIDEN."

"Are you truly going to help me?"

"ABSOLUTELY, MAIDEN! I LOVE CLEANING." He took off his bandana and tied it to his head. 

"I love cleaning too!" You found Edge and Black picking the cleaning supplies and getting ready for the task you had ahead.

"WHERE DID THE OTHER MINIONS RAN OFF TO?"

"OH NO, THOSE TWO AREN'T GOING TO RUN AWAY FROM THIS. IF THE MAIDEN SAID WE NEED TO CLEAN, THEN EVERY ONE OF US SHOULD HELP, EVEN WHEN WE DON'T NEED THEIR HELP AND THEY'LL END UP MAKING A BIGGER MESS IN THE PROCESS, THEY SHOULD STILL HELP."

"I SAY WE PROCEED WITHOUT THE DECALCIFIED ASHTRAY OR THE COMPACT COMEDIAN."

"WE FINALLY AGREE ON SOMETHING, UNDERLING."

"DON'T PUSH IT, OBNOXIOUS BUNGLER."

You smiled happily, it looked like the day was going to be a relaxing one.

And it was. You cleaned up, ate, admired the lunar eclipse.

Everything was going good, even Sans was talking to you. 

But the next day, the first day of year 325 after The Eleven Deviants, it was a disaster.

* * *

You fell from the bed, hitting your face on the floor and rolling from one side to the other. The multiple smashing sounds startling you even more than the fall. 

When you saw the bed sliding towards you, and you felt the adrenaline and the fear of it smashing your head, you knew you weren't dreaming. You pressed yourself as best as you could against the floor and managed to save yourself from the killer piece of furniture.

You rolled out of it, put on your boots, and grabbed your component pouch, crossbow, bolts, and wire. You had no time for anything else.

The angle of the ship had changed, meaning you would need to walk in a portion of the wall if you didn't want to fall. What was going on?

"Guys?! Are you there?!" A loud rumble sounded from out of the ship. 

"y/n!" It was Sans! "you have to open the door!" You walked there, the door was stuck with something, and opening it would be hard, but you had to try. 

Or you would've tried if it wasn't because of Blueberry's war-hammer that crashed against the place where the hinges of the door were. The siblings were with you. Both only had their boots, gloves, their magic items, and the weapon the bandana-wearing cleric was wielding. 

Stretch used both of you away, just in time for one of the chests used to store blankets fell, breaking one side of the other room's doorframe.

You separated yourself from the brothers and pulled yourself up the other room, where you found Black holding his nonexistent stomach and throwing up, Sans had a hand on his back, while Edge held him tightly. 

"stars, you're here." 

"Any idea of what's going on?" You grabbed Edge's pauldron and scarf. His high-heeled boots weren't going to help. You saw Black wearing his bandana already, so you only focused on finding his mask. 

You were going to carry only the essentials and things they treasured.

You paled, remembering what was left on your backpack. The only belonging you had from your world, your phone. And more importantly, your Othein Travel Permit. 

The sound that came from every side of the ship, terrified you. It was like there was a horde of creatures attacking it from the outside.

You needed to find out what was going on or else you wouldn't be able to make a plan.

"Stretch, Blue, stay with Black and Edge," you pointed at Sans, "You, with me." You grabbed the paladin's sword and jumped out of the room, "we're going to find out what is going on and I need backup."

"are you crazy?!"

"We need to know what we are going against with-" The rumble of thunder and the seawater under your feet, made you open your eyes wide, but you ran towards the stairs and started climbing them. A yelling wizard following behind.

You slammed your little body against the door and didn't achieve anything. You tried again and felt it move. The third time was the charm. The door opened and you brought yourself outside, and the sight petrified you.

Two days ago you thought about how cool dragons looked.

At this moment, you thought about how unlucky you were. Because of the enormous dragon tangled around the ship, in the middle of a storm.

Your mind screamed at you to run, move, and think of a way to survive this. Your body, however, took the fight reaction and got you in position, and you pointed your crossbow at the creature, you started to chant, you felt the thunder in your crossbow and before you finished, a boney hand grabbed your ankle.

And everything went dark, making you lose focus.

Regaining all senses once you fell over Sans in the room.

"w h a t w e r e y o u t h i n k i n g ? !" Sans' left eye was flaring in a light blue and yellow light.

"About running!"

"t h e n w h y y o u t r i e d t o s h o o t t h e d r a g o n ? !"

"THERE'S A DRAGON?!"

"you tried to shoot it?!"

"I don't know! I moved!"

"WHAT'RE WE GOING TO DO?!"

"I don't know!" At that moment, the water started entering the room. And you could only think about one little fact. Skeletons can't swim. You grabbed the wire and started tying it around the elbows of each skeleton. The motion of the ship told you that you were turning at high speeds. Maybe the dragon liked to spin their new ship toys?

That was silly.

You felt yourself cry at how ridiculous that thought was, and out of frustration and sadness.

You didn't know what was going to happen or if you would survive. You just tied the wire to your waist and sat down, next to Stretch and Black, and grabbed their hands. The raging sea, the growl of the dragon, and the sound of the cracking ship were too much. You blinked, feeling the water get around your waist, and the rest of the skeletons get closer.

You held your breath at the cracking of wood, right before the wall of the room broke. Your eyes stung when you opened them because of the salt, the skeletons were moving too much. You saw how pieces of the ship started to float and you managed to grab one of the broken planks.

You noticed orange sparks and Sans' left eye shining through the water.

You felt your chest heavy, almost making you release the air you were holding, in front of you, a blue heart appeared. Then, the rest of your body got surrounded by orange light. And you felt your body move underwater faster than you could even run. It was as if you were a torpedo! 

But the pressure on your chest was making it difficult to breathe. And the pull of the wire on your waist was starting to hurt you. You felt a burn on it.

And then... everything stopped, and you were back on the surface of the water, gasping for air, your lungs burning with the need of it. Your arms were still around the plank you grabbed. You pulled as best as you could on the wire and brought Stretch to the surface. He was shaking, orange tears were running down his face. You studied his face, but he ignored it and started pulling the wire on his elbow, and you helped him pulling every skeleton on top of the plank. As soon as you made sure everyone was up and breathing, you leaned your body on the plank and passed out.

* * *

You felt something grabbing your arm and you tried to pull it away, but you had no energy, so you opened your eyes and tried to focus enough to see what was pulling you, but then it left you, apparently, only to grab your face. It felt like a hand, a warm and boney one. 

The only thing you got to see before passing out, was a glint of gold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHICH PARTY HAS 4-5 EXHAUSTION LEVELS
> 
> THE IVORY BROTHERHOOD! QuQ
> 
> Trivia for this chapter:
> 
> \- Pixie's Constitution saved her from food poisoning during Aklirim's Day.
> 
> \- I listened to one JJBA song while writing the scene where our dear Reader was eating pancakes. Il Mare Eterno Nella Mia Anima. If you watched Part 2: Battle Tendency you know which song I'm talking about.
> 
> \- Y/N Truthheart Ace Apothecary: Sickness and Diagnosis.
> 
> \- Drinking more than four cups of coffee daily can be bad for your health. Don't do it. Don't be like Pixie and take care of your health.
> 
> \- Black is a conspiracy theorist and you can't change my mind about it. The reason why he counts strippers in his list of mind manipulators is that he watched the movie "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies," known as one of the worse movies ever made. Basically, a stripper mind-controlled a character and later turned him into a zombie using a spiraling wheel. It is a 1964 movie. It's really wacky and I watched it during the quarantine. I like bad movies.
> 
> \- Two dice sets were sent to the cemetery of bad dices in the making of the episode. The dragon that attacked the party wasn't supposed to appear until much later. Lots of time later. I was planning on having a chill "beach episode," but it ended deleted thanks to my flipping dice.  
> Seriously, can't they just relax for a time???
> 
> \- It should've been a TPK... A really unfortunate one, so I took like a whole day to think about a better solution than just a Deus ex Machina. I could've let it happen, but I don't want the story to end yet QwQ  
> So... Gravity magic, to move her body underwater. But then I thought "Moving too fast would hurt her because of the pressure!" So I got her covered with orange magic, meaning that as long as she moved she wouldn't be hurt. It is... kinda bad. But that was all I could think of for them to survive.
> 
> So... two big things happened while I was writing this chapter.
> 
> The first was a fantastic roleplaying/kinda DnD session with the people from the AklirimTale Discord. It started out of nowhere, and Muyoko stepped as DM incredibly fast. Dice were rolled, jokes were made and skeletons were involved. And we got to know each other a bit more in the server. It was a fantastic experience!
> 
>   
> The second one is a bit more serious.
> 
> Long story short, I developed a certain fear of writing when I was 12 y/o. I wrote for a contest to win tickets for a concert of a group my friends liked. The theme was to write a story about meeting this band. But I didn't like it and didn't know a thing about them, so I spent time reading about them, listening to their songs, etc. And I started writing the draft of the story at school in my notebook.
> 
> And my friends found it. And read it, and laughed, and told everyone in the class.
> 
> I submitted the story, and I actually won first prize. But rejected it.
> 
> I told my "friends" that I won, and that meant tickets for the concert, they congratulated me and were happy that I was going to invite them.
> 
> I told them that I rejected the prize because winning and getting tickets I didn't want to felt wrong. The second place deserved them more than me and even more than them.
> 
> Today, I told one of my best friends that I wrote a fanfic. And I explained the why, how, when, and all about it to her, and she asked to read it. I was terrified because I remembered the girls I used to call friends reading something I wrote and mocking me, and I was so damn scared!
> 
> But... I changed a lot since I was little. I grew up and learned to choose my friends better. And more importantly, she is different from the "friends" I had as a kid. She's not just a friend, she is my buddy chum pal friend buddy pal chum bud friend fella bruther amigo pal buddy friend chummy chum chum pal I swear she is my friend pal home slice bread slice dawg.
> 
> So, to my friend that maybe will read the whole thing, if you got to this point... 
> 
> STOP READING!!!
> 
> Jk jk
> 
> What did you expect? You know I like puns, skeletons, DnD, reading, I sometimes have the evil guy kinda laughter, shoot the witch all the time, there's nothing new here bruh lmaooo
> 
> And I'm not telling you anything, dudette. No spoilers for you :v  
> Unless they are out of context or me going "BRUH! I ROLLED AND I WENT ALL HOLY FUDGE!"


	19. Brother, Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of the last chapter, you wake up in an unknown place. Unable to get up, you try to figure out what happened.
> 
> Thankfully, you won't need to figure it out on your own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter is named after the song "Brother, Brother" from the Yakuza 6 OST.
> 
> In the beginning, I was going to name it Bubble, as the Main theme of Yakuza 0, but then I realized I was listening to Brother, Brother in a loop for hours. So that song stole the title :0c

You didn't need to open your eyes to know you were sick. The pumping of blood flowing through your head was enough for you to know that you were having an uncomfortable fever and a headache. You felt dehydrated, so you didn't attempt to talk. 

That you were able to tell think in these conditions was a relief.

Still lying on your back, you tried moving and felt how all your skin tingled with an underlying pain. That was something new, you never felt that way before for being sick. 

There was no other option but to open your eyes. As you did that, your eyelids hurt and you were tempted to close them again, but there were more important things to do at the moment.

The first thing you saw was a white ceiling. Overcoming the pain you were feeling, you were able to focus a bit more and notice that it wasn't a white ceiling. It was something white over a glass ceiling. How curious. 

Your next move was trying to sit up. It was going to hurt, you could feel it before even attempting to do so yet you sat up fast, inhaling sharply through your teeth and whimpering a bit. After the pain subdued a bit, you moved your head, slowly, and looked around the room you were in. There wasn't much to see, but you deduced you were in a guest room. What caught your attention was that both the door and the bed were small, at least for what you were used to. You wouldn't have any trouble walking through it, but the tallest members of the brotherhood would need to bend down to get through.

Taking a deep breath, you lifted the thick blankets that covered you. Finding yourself in different clothes was expected, the grey nightgown covered half of your arms and it went all the way down to your calf. The fact that someone changed your clothes didn't bother you because something else had you worried. Your skin was red and you noticed some parts of your skin starting to peel.

You needed to know where were your friends. You were hurting and sick, but you needed to hold on, you had to make sure all of them were safe. 

You turned on the bed and slowly got your feet on the floor, you tried convincing yourself that everything was okay, but the moment you decided to stand up without support to walk you knew you were in no conditions to help anyone, after all, your legs buckled and you fell on your knees with a loud thud that caused you to wail.

You were so focused on the pain you felt and in trying to keep silent, that you didn't notice the heavy footsteps or the door of the room slamming open. However, the booming voice was something you couldn't ignore.

"What are you doing on the floor?!" you looked up and found a blond dwarf with brown eyes staring at you with his face scrunched, "Don't move, stupid girl, you're just gonna end hurting yourself more than you already are," you whimpered, feeling your eyes watering "I'm going to pick you up now, and it'll hurt, but you earned it for trying to get up in that condition."

The dwarf lifted you like nothing, and he was right, the feeling of his arms behind your back and knees was what finally made you cry.

He settled you back on the bed accommodating the pillows so that you were sitting, "Wait here, I'll be right back" you opened your mouth to try to talk, and he pushed his index over your mouth shutting you, "I know what you want to ask, they're fine, you're the first that woke up, the one that saved you will be here soon and he can explain better than me, I have to leave for my duties and to inform your parents where I found you." Your parents? Did this dwarf know them?

He turned and started walking out the room mumbling, and before he could close the door, you managed to hear one phrase that made you relax.

"Manthe was just like her when we met."

You doubted someone would guess your mother's name without you saying a word.

You closed your eyes and fell asleep, knowing your companions were okay and that you were in a friendly place. For now.

* * *

**Dwarf' PoV**

Never in my life, I thought I would meet again Manthe's girl and less in circumstances like this. I pinched the bridge of my nose seeking some relief to the terrible headache that I was getting just imagining about how she would react to this. I've known Manthe for 23 years, and I know she'll rush out immediately when she knows the state in which he found her daughter.

The other option I had was even worse. Telling Eggath would be asking for mass murder. He would react better when receiving the news, but afterward, he would end the lives of whoever brought her to this point. Because I was certain something brought her to this point. I knew her parents, Eggath only a couple of years less than her mother, and I knew that they would teach her all they knew. And of course, I knew that because I've been smithing Y/N's training gear for a whole decade!

I can't believe the girl doesn't recognize her Uncle Thelmyl!

But I guess it is hard to remember someone you saw for a week.

Humans with their short lives and poor memory. I would've lost my patience if that happened to me.

I opened the doors of the other two guest rooms and checked fast on the piles of bones that he brought with her.

As if I didn't have enough of those already here at my house!

I skipped the other room, I don't need to check his room. He made it clear that one was his responsibility.

With a sigh, my thoughts go back once again to my best friends and about how I should tell them the news. I open the door to the kitchen and just when I'm about to grab her meal, I hear the steps from the entrance. 

"heya, ol' man, any news?" a rough voice asked from behind me. Right now, it wasn't welcomed. It meant that I have no more reasons to stay and avoid the fury of the Goliaths.

"Don't heya me, your arrival only means trouble to me, kid." It has been one problem after the other. The tavern brawl, the drunken rage, the nights going out of control and destroying rooms. He was a troublemaker.

"geez, ya don't gotta hide it from me," I don't even need to turn around to know he has that shit-eating grin on his face again "ya love me."

"If I did, know that I love the other piles of bones more and they haven't said a word yet," I shake my head at that, "Anyway, daddy issues, one did wake up and you'll have to take care of her."

"oh? yer friend's kid's awake?"

"Yes, and I have to tell them that she's okay." I grab the tray that has soup and water and I push everything into his arms, "And get her some new socks, she took them off during her sleep again."

"uh, ya sure ya don't wanna do that?" 

"Listen, kid. I have other things to do, like thinking of a way to calm down a Monster Slayer and a Vengeance Paladin. So you better keep a firm hold on that tray, get your nonexistent ass to her room, put her socks on, and make sure that she drinks the water and eats the soup. Or else, you'll have to be the one to calm down her Goliath parents and I assure you that by the end of it, the two of them and me," I point to myself to put some emphasis to my words "a Wild Soul Barbarian, will be hunting you down, just like we did during the ol' days." Ah, the good ol' days. Maybe I should let him talk to them. "Do you understand?"

"got it, mastersmith." I see him turn around with the sweat he got in the kitchen running down the back of his skull.

With a sigh, I get my jacket and head out of the house. I better get ready for my doom.

* * *

The movement of my feet woke me up again. I don't know how long I got to rest, but I can only hope it hasn't been hours.

I open my eyes and find that there's someone sliding socks on my feet carefully. They are slightly big, so the pain I get from the action isn't much. Still, now that I'm conscious, it makes me flinch. 

"sorry 'bout that, sweetheart," he smiles, only to look from my feet, to my face to my feet again, "it ain't what it looks like, promise." 

I tilt my head and lift an eyebrow to show my confusion.

"it's nothin'," he takes a long look at your socks, winks at you, and covers your body with the blankets again, "the mastersmith said ya gotta drink and eat all that."

You look around and find on the nightstand a cup of water and a soft steaming bowl of soup. Or you assume it is soup. You have never seen a soup so red in your life. You try to grab the cup of water, but the moment you grab it, you wince a bit yet you still manage to keep your grip firm on it. He just looked at you entertained, gold tooth shining, his elbows resting on his knees, his left hand acting as support for his skull.

You started drinking the water and felt immediate relief to your sore throat, you wanted to just gulp it all, but knew better than to do that. You looked at the cup and then at the skeleton in the room, deciding if you would forgo your manners or keep them around him a bit longer. The answer was simple for you, health came first, so you took another sip, keeping enough water in your mouth and gargled a bit. It may not hydrate you more, but it helped you feel more hydrated.

The slight disgust on his face made you chuckle. You sounded awful as if you smoked all the tobacco Stretch had. You keep sipping on the cup until all the water is gone.

"ready for our talk, sweetheart?" You shook your head and pointed at your throat, "what?" you shake the empty cup in your hand, "ya need more water?" you nod, point at the cup and lift three fingers. 

"sheesh, ya drink yer booze like that too?" Now that he mentions it, you smile at him and nod. You started drinking young and found out that you loved it as much as the next Goliath. 

It was to drink mead, after training, during parties, while hearing stories at the local pub or in front of a bonfire, after a day working hard and sometimes because you just wanted to do so. Nowadays, you didn't drink a lot because you spent the whole time traveling and because there was no mead in the last places you visited, but the first times you did, you challenged every Goliath to outdrink you and sometimes, everyone would start a friendly tavern brawl. Eventually, you started to outdrink them, but you knew that was something you could only do as long as mead was the drink involved, anything else acted in different ways.

You were thinking so much about the drinks, that you didn't notice the new skeleton leave or arrive with a pitcher full of water.

You kept repeating your previous actions until half the pitcher was gone and you felt like you could eat on your own since the pain subdued and now your skin was numb. You stared at the red liquid and mixed it up trying to find out what it was made of. The only clue you got were petals. You had no idea what it was and plants with red flowers were some of the ones you needed to stay away from most of the time.

You doubted the dwarf would do anything to you, not if he really knew your mom. And after traveling with Edge for so long, you doubted his older brother would try to poison you with no reason. 

The first spoonful was a surprise. the soup was creamy, it warmed you up inside immediately. However, the taste was curious. What started savory turned a bit sour and ended feeling sweet. Sweet and sour, it was out of the usual, but it was welcomed. 

The new skeleton just kept looking at you, walking out and in the room all the time.

Once you were finished, and he came back, you cleared your throat a bit, "Hi, Sans." your voice still sounded a bit raspy but it would be the best thing you could get for now. 

"fuckin' finally!" Your lack of talking must have been exasperating to him, "now, sweetheart. can ya tell me what you, pyrus and some lookalikes were doin' in the fuckin' ocean in winter?"

You shook your head, "First, I wanna know how are Edg- uh, Pyrus, and the others." 

"and why would i tell ya that?" 

"If you were in my shoes, wouldn't you ask about your friends and family first?" he studied your face, with the same permanent frown Edge had. If you didn't see him before, you would've known they were brothers just because of that look.

"they're fine," his gaze turned to your chest, "still restin', y/n."

"How many skeletons are here?" 

"five, count me in and ya have six monsters." You flopped back into the pillows, relieved that all of them were here, "so, are ya gonna reply now?"

"We were on a shipwreck, caused by a dragon, on a ship that we stole in The Golden Peninsula because we had to run before we were captured because we were accused of some unfounded crimes, except the drugging someone part because Stretch did that. And the assaulting law enforcement one because some of those corrupted guards chased us, but we managed to defeat them."

You paused, knowing that what you said was confusing and without some context, you would end up looking like a dangerous group that anyone would keep away from their family. Thus you started telling him the story from the moment you left The Obsidian Dynasty for the first time until the moment you got attacked at the sea. With each thing you said, his face grew even more worried. He filled your cup just like you filled him in the details about the circumstances that brought you there. He asked some questions here and there, mostly about his brother, and you replied as accurately as you could. You were glad that he was so patient while you were talking because your headache and fever would make you give the longest pauses.

"there's one thing that doesn't fit, pix," Pix? "pyrus, my bro ain't one to help people just like that. why did he agree ta help ya?"

"I told you, he promised to protect me as a way to repay my parents for their generosity."

He looked at you in silence, as if you were a puzzle that he needed to solve. The way his eyes and smile grew wider told you he made some connection. He put a hand on his forehead and with the other hit his knee, guffawing, with tears appearing at the corners of his sockets.

"my bro and you!" he kept howling in laughter, leaving you completely confused. You didn't mind, it was good to see him in such high spirits after all the things you told him. You saw how his laughter calmed down and turned into a chuckle "kitten, ya and i are gonna have so much fun." He winked and teleported away.

You stared at the empty chair that he was sitting on and after waiting for a while, you went back to sleep.

* * *

The next time you woke up, the dwarf was back, but this time was sitting on the floor with his back at you while... Edge's brother, was in front of him in the same position, both playing with a deck of cards.

You held back your laughter when the skeleton's smug smile disappeared as the dwarf took away his gold.

"thelmyl, yah cheatin' bastard!" You saw his right pupil disappeared and his left eye glowed a bit brighter, only to return to normal, "imma gonna figure out how cha do it." His accent felt heavier than the time you talked to him. You wondered why.

"Sure, thing, kid," you saw how the dwarf counted the gold pieces, "The day you do, you'll be able to cheat without me outsmarting you."

"ye take mah money ev'ry month."

"You live in my house every month, you need to pay for the room, you know?"

"what 'bout, kitten? will she pay yah too?" he looked at you, making the dwarf turn around and spotting you.

"Great, you're awake," he grinned at you "Don't worry about what this asshole says, your parents saved my ass more times than they got me in trouble, especially your mother."

You saw that the water pitcher and the cup were still in the nightstand and that the cup was already filled, so picked it up and gave a sip before talking.

"Hello, sir. I'm Y/N Truthheart, it's nice to meet you," you bowed your head a bit "Thanks for receiving me and my friends in your house, I hope we aren't inconveniencing you." 

"My, my, what a polite girl," he seemed a bit taken aback by how you greeted him. He looked at red Sans "If you had half her manners, you wouldn't get in so much trouble."

"ya sure 'bout that, ol' dwarf?"

"Yes." The dwarf turned to you, "You don't have to be so formal, girl. I've known you since you arrived at your parents' lives and turned them into even bigger softies."

"I'm sorry, but," you smiled sheepishly "I don't remember you, mister."

He huffed, "The name's Thelmyl, but you may call me Uncle Thelmyl, or just uncle," he made a small pause and sat in the same way your dad would while he was serious, "I'm also the Mastersmith of The Unorthodox Forge of Kraveith, the Homewrecker. Welcome to one of the coldest and warmest places of Othein." 

"What?! The Unorthodox Forge?!" your throat hurt after your surprised yell, making you cough a bit and drink some water, "What day is it, Uncle Thelmyl?"

"Paint Stroke 6th, Year 325 After The Eleven Deviants."

"That's... That's impossible," you started trying to make the math to know how long it would take you from one city to the other, but the numbers didn't fit, "We were at The Golden Peninsula during Souheth Day."

"Oh, yeah, yeah. This bag of bones filled me in," he frowned a bit "It looks like you met quite the legend, niece." He got up and sat on the bed, making sure he didn't hurt you. "In my 197 years of life, I've never met a dragon, and... how old are you?"

"25 and a couple of months old."

"And you in your 25 years of existence meet one, get attacked by them and survive, with your whole crew," he smiled "And after that, you appeared on the coast of our territory, just like Manthe when she tried to slay a sea serpent." He sighs happily at the memory "The Wayward Ocean is called like that for a reason, girl," he nods to himself while crossing his arms, "Shipwrecks don't follow the rules of the ones that happen on the rest of the salty waters. Some disappear without a trace, only to appear in a completely different place."

"Why does that happen?" he just shrugs at your question.

"I would be lying to you if I said I kne-" the sound of something breaking out of the room and what you would call an unholy scream, that made the dwarf shut instantly, opening the door violently, red Sans stood behind him blocking your view of the door, the dwarf lifted his hands and with one swift movement, he changed places with the skeleton and pushed him out the door, locking it, "I'm not dealing with this bullcrap now."

"What's going on?! Is everyone okay, uncle?!"

"Everyone's fine, niece, just-"

"SANS! YOU INSUFFERABLE JERK! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU FOR MONTHS!" Oh, it was just Edge.

You started moving slowly, getting ready to get up.

"What do you think you're doing? You need to rest."

"No, no, Uncle Thelmyl. I promised I would be there for this moment."

"-AS IF I WOULD BELIEVE THAT!"

"i'm tellin' da truth, and cha know it, papyrus!"

You look at the door and start moving faster, resting your weakened legs on the floor.

An annoyed sigh came from the dwarf, he was in front of you offering you his muscled arm, "I can see in your eyes you're just like Eggath. With the morals of Manthe, but the personality of Eggath. The worst and the best of both."

You smiled and took his offer, taking slow and short steps, waiting for your feet to get used to the pain, ignoring the shouts, until you were in front of the locked door.

"I BET YOU WERE OUT DRINKING, CELEBRATING! BECAUSE YOU-" You unlocked the door and opened it slightly "-WERE ABLE TO GET RID OF EVERYTHING THAT BOTHERED YOU!" You gave a low gasp at his words. You didn't know much about their relationship as siblings, the words and following silence made you hesitate to open the door.

"i betcha enjoyed it as much as i did then," he chuckled, "yah surely were happy while travelin' wit' all those othah versions o' me, felt like cha finally got yerself da bro you always wanted, didn't cha?" His dark laughter kept going.

You stood up as straight as possible and grabbed red Sans' shoulder in an attempt to move him, stopping his little display. You felt him jump at the contact, and then move. You don't know if it was out of surprise or if you really moved him, but it didn't matter because you didn't care. He looked at you surprised, but you just glared at him in a way that you hoped it told him you two were having a long chat later.

You made your way past him. The paladin stood there, frozen. You saw his concern and you almost heard the silent questions about what happened on his mind. You got to his side, leaning on the wall and holding his hand.

"Okay, you can keep going," the older brother looked at you in surprise, "Oh, don't mind me. I promised, Edge, I mean... Papyrus, that we were going to be there for him when you found him," you felt your voice crack a bit on the end, so you cleared your throat, "So, yeah, you can just ignore me and keep going hurting each other with your words ignoring your feelings instead of admitting like the grown skeletons you two are that you both missed each other and did what you could to find the other."

"I NEVER SAID THAT-" "yah got it all wrong-"

"Both of you, shut up!" You started walking towards the other Sans, pulling Edge's hand and stopped in front of him. The sharp pain on your feet and the warmth on them had to be a bad sign, but you ignored it, "Be honest with how you feel and hug it out."

Both skeletons turned red and started protesting. 

"Do as my niece says you two, or" he pointed at the Paladin "I'll contact both Xylsis and Eggath about this, and we'll make sure you two never get your magic back."

You shook your head, he reminded you of your dad, but more menacing and rude.

The older skeleton looked around, avoiding his brother's stare. You focused on the younger one and gave him a slight pat on the back, and whispered: "It's okay to show how you feel."

The words of encouragement seemed to work because, after a moment of silence, you saw him lean down, and hug his brother. The smaller one hugging back in hesitation, as if he couldn't believe it was happening. You tried to give them space while they were whispering, so you tried to break free from Edge's hold, but he didn't let go, instead, after minutes of susurrated words, he pulled you into the hug.

"I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU AGAIN."

You didn't know why but for a moment, you swore that you felt your heart jump a bit at the words. Which was weird, because you were sure those words were meant for... Red.

You couldn't think about a better nickname. Yes, it was kinda obvious, but you felt it suited him.

Get it? Suited him? Because he wears red?

"Uh, sorry to interrupt, but... Niece, your feet are bleeding."

"WHAT?!" "da fuck?!" "Oh... no wonder they hurt so much."

The dwarf just shook his head and lift a writhing you and placed you back on the bed.

"Kid, bring new socks, these are all covered in blood," Thelmyl said after taking your socks off and throwing them at Red, you noticed how Edge's socket twitched, "And you gotta pay for the door your baby brother broke." You heard Red growl and complain while he left to get the things he asked for.

"I'M NOT A BABY!"

"You're Sans' little brother, if I call him kid, that makes you a baby, and this is my house and I call everyone however I want, right niece?"

"I don't know?" You just met the dwarf, you weren't sure if it was like that or not.

He rolled his eyes at you in response and walked out of the room, pausing right out of the doorframe, "I'll get the first aid kit and some food for both of you. Eggath will have my head on a plate if he finds out I didn't feed you two properly, and you baby skeleton, haven't eaten in days" then he looked at you "and you since yesterday, that's asking for him to smite me." 

As soon as the dwarf closed the door, Edge was sitting on the bed with his arms crossed, looking at your uncovered legs worriedly.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" his voice came out soft and full of concern.

"Do you remember what happened?" He shook his head. 

"I ONLY REMEMBER WHEN THE SHIP CHANGED ANGLE."

"Oh, that, uh... well, what happened was..."

...

You knew that keeping some details out would've spared you from the lecture he was giving you now. Your dwarf uncle even opened the door, bandaged your feet, and went out of the room without a word. But you accepted it, the whole lecture because you felt guilty.

You knew it wasn't your fault that the dragon appeared, but you felt responsible because you could've done so much better. Maybe everyone would be awake by now. Or you would be at least able to take care of them, help them recover. Your current condition didn't let you do that. You didn't even know where your component pouch was. 

"boss, i think that's 'nough lecture for today." 

"IT'LL BE YOUR TURN NEXT, BROTHER."

"Uh, boss? Why do you call him "boss", Red?" You interrupted.

"red?"

"Sorry, I chose a nickname for you. I know four Sans now, and it gets confusing. I'm used to calling the first one I met that way so..."

"nah, i got it," you saw him smile widely, "ya can call me whatever yah want, kitten," he purred in a smooth and deeper tone, "tell ya what, how 'bout i getcha socks on and then i can show ya-"

"SANS, BRING MY PAULDRON, AND MAKE IT QUICK." The older brother was laughing, and you didn't know why you only knew Edge was mad, "NOW, YOU RED WEIRDO!"

"look, boss," he cleaned a nonexistent tear from the corner of his socket, "if i had it, trust me i would've brought it here by now."

"What?" You stared at him in panic.

"there was no pauldron when i found ya on da beach."

"Red, you gotta tell us what you found, and what you brought with you."

He rolled his eyes at you, "listen carefully, kitten, because i'm only gonna say it once." You nodded. "a'right, the wire that kept ya all together, a leather book, a quantum physics one, an ukulele, a locket, a pocket watch, a waterskin" he smiled darkly, "and a mask." He tapped his finger against his cheekbone, "and i guess the clothing ya were wearing too, i have your scarf in my room, boss."

You inhaled and exhaled softly. You saw Edge shaking in anger, and if it wasn't for your breathing exercise, you would've been too.

You lost your crossbow, the one you had since you started training years ago. It had been modified many times to suit your requests, but for you, it still felt like the same one.

Losing the phone you got from your biological parents meant nothing compared to losing that crossbow.

Your bottom lip was trembling, and you felt like crying. The sentimental value that the crossbow held was immeasurable.

"Hey!" the blond approached holding a tray with two steaming bowls of the same red soup you ate the previous day, "First she's getting lectured looking as if she deserved all the guilt of the world and now I find you making her cry," he placed it on the nightstand, "I should tell Eggath to choose a better bodyguard next time."

"He didn't make me cry," the tears were flowing from your eyes, making the skin on your face tingle and yourself feel a bit feverish, "I lost my crossbow, and, and..." you started sobbing "I forgot to secure Edge's pauldron properly and now he won't be able to use magic."

Red was under the glare of both his brother and the Mastersmith, sweating knowing both were blaming him for your tears, "uh... don't ya worry kitten, i'm sure we can buy boss and ya those things, will be easy tah find here at the forge, right, mastersmith?"

"What kind of crossbow and pauldron were they, girl?"

"A modified crossbow, it had three special bolts, and it could shoot up to three bolts," you wanted to clean away your tears, but your face was still sensitive after being in the cold waters near The Forge, "I had it since dad and mom started training me. We modified it many times." 

"Okay, what about the Pauldron, Edge, was it?"

"THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE FOR YOU," he squinted his eyes "IT WAS A PAULDRON THAT GOT THE BLESSING OF XYLSIS, GODDESS OF RETRIBUTION, MAKING ME HER CHAMPION AND PALADIN OF VENGEANCE."

"wait, ya said xylsis?"

"WEREN'T YOU PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT I SAID? YES, BROTHER, XYLSIS."

"huh, funny ya mention her, ya know?"

"It really is," added Thelmyl, "Two brothers separated under weird circumstances that get together serving the same deity-"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, BY SERVING THE SAME DEITY?"

"Well, your brother is a barbarian."

"I'VE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT. HIS MANNERS ARE ATROCIOUS AND HE HAS BAD HYGIENE," you saw Red blushing in embarrassment, "WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ALL THIS?"

"No, no," the dwarf breathed in deeply, "What I mean is that I taught him how to fight like me, a barbarian. Our rage gives us power, protects us, and we are guided by our instinct to fight," he frowned a bit, "Now, he was supposed to follow the path of the Wild Soul like me, but Xylsis intervened and showed him the Path of the Zealot. And until now, I don't know why."

"yeah... i wonder 'bout that too."

Edge just squinted his eyes looking at Red that seemed to get smaller every time his little brother did that.

"You know what that means, kid?" Red lifted his brow and shook his head, "That we have work to do! Let them eat and rest. We need to get all the materials in the kitchen and start cooking the best pauldron and crossbow these two have ever seen."

"what? i dunno if ya noticed, but i would prefer tah stay here a bit longer" you didn't notice the fast look he gave his brother and the pleading one he gave you.

"Nonsense, the faster they get their things, the faster they'll recover." The dwarf grabbed the skeletal barbarian's furry hood and pulled him out of the room.

You looked at your paladin friend and gave him a relieved smile, and grabbed your spoon to eat, he followed your example with a sigh.

For now, the only thing you two could do was try to recover, and wait for the rest of The Ivory Brotherhood to wake up.

Knowing that your friends and you were in a safe place, that your confidant got reunited with his brother and that someone was looking after all of you, was a relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Red is a Path of the Zealot Barbarian!**
> 
> **Some deities inspire their followers to pitch themselves into a ferocious battle fury. These barbarians are zealots – warriors who channel their rage into powerful displays of divine power.**  
>  **A variety of deities across the world inspire their followers to embrace this path. In general, the gods who inspire zealots are deities of combat, destruction, and violence. Not all are evil, but few are good.**
> 
> * * *
> 
>   
> The Unorthodox Forge of Kraveith, the Homewrecker has a peculiar story. Many would think that Kraveith was an insufferable flirt and they would be right, but he didn't earn that name for that reason.
> 
> Kraveith was a wandering Rogue Goliath. Unlike the rest of his people that liked to settle in one place, he was a free spirit. He wasn't looking for anything special in life. He enjoyed life as a vagabond, living from simple things. As long as he could see the sky, he was happy.
> 
> That is until he took refuge from a snowstorm in a cave, that got sealed behind him. Being used to moving around, he started exploring this cave.
> 
> Deep inside, he found a light source and felt a wave of heat surround him. There, he met the Dwarves, a race full of tradition, working on the same things, isolated from the rest of the world under the mountain. For a free spirit like Kraveith, it sounded terrible and suffocating. There was so much to see and there was a sky that would always provide light and different sights, an infinite landscape that was ever-changing.
> 
> He couldn't help but think about how miserable life without all that was. So he made a plan to show every dwarf what they were missing starting with the youngest ones and then the eldest.
> 
> One by one, he started showing dwarves the world out of the caves, sneaking during the warmest days of the eternal winter of the mountain, taking them to the highest parts and letting them admire the clouds, the falling snow, the aurora, and the stars.
> 
> When the traditionalist dwarves found out about this, spring was already there. Kraveith got chased to the top of the mountain where his persecutors got to admire the beauty of the world around at night. The sight ignited the fire in their hearts, inspiring them. The furnaces were lit, every dwarf started working on different projects.
> 
> During the present day, dwarves live inside and outside the mountain and are known by their unusual forges made of glass at the highest places of the mountain. 
> 
> * * *
> 
>   
> Trivia for this chapter:
> 
> \- There were only Charisma, Strength, and Constitution rolls during this chapter.
> 
> \- Congratulations to Red for being the first skeleton not to be charmed by the MC. Which makes me happy because I can take another approach for that mwahahaha!
> 
> \- Manthe was a Monster Slayer that used to travel around annihilating different threats. She followed the rumors, tried to talk if the creatures were intelligent and would help them or outright get rid of them depending on the situation. She never got paid for it but earned different allies in her travels.
> 
> \- I gave Red a feat that I hope we get to see someday. It is my favorite feat uwu


	20. Heart of Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've been waiting for the rest of the skeletons to wake up while you recover from frostbite. 
> 
> To entertain you, Thelmyl decides to tell you stories from his youth.
> 
> You don't know if it is the best idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is a song from Castlevania. It appeared in more than one game, but it is known as Julius Belmont's Theme since Castlevania Aria of Sorrow. 
> 
> The one I heard while writing was the version from Harmony of Despair... An extended 30-minute version that I could hear for 50 hours.
> 
> I've played most of them, and for me, Julius Belmont is the best Belmont. He finished Dracula off for good once, and if you check the bad endings of Aria of Sorrow or Dawn of Sorrow, twice. The bad ending isn't the canon one, but if it was, then dayumn, that's one powerful Belmont.

**Paint Stroke 7th, 325 A.11**

Frostbite was a new condition to you, out of your knowledge as an apothecary and healer. Learning about it was something you appreciated. 

Learning about it first hand was horrible.

According to Thelmyl, you were found the second day of the year, so you were in the cold ocean for at least a day. 

_"If we didn't know how to treat people in your condition, you would've ended losing some parts, or maybe even dead, niece."_

The lack of tact of the dwarf made you worry about how he told your parents about your situation. Did he tell them about the whole wanted criminal deal?

You would need to ask how did he talk to your parents, and if you could talk to them too.

You were once again eating the red soup. You learned it was made out of different tubers and _Cœur du feu_ a plant that grew inside the mountain at the core of the old dwarf city. It helped the body to regain its warmth faster, and its flower was the core ingredient of the traditional dwarvish soup you were eating. Treating your skin was going to be hard, at least according to your uncle, unless your body recovered its stamina.

The clatter of the paladin's spoon made you look at him. He woke up before you, but he was in a better condition. You noticed how his movements were slower, how he would look for a place to sit instead of standing as he did most of the time yet he looked more energized than you. You looked at your still reddened skin and sighed.

"I'm bored, I want to get up and do something!"

"YOU CAN'T," he picked your bowl from your hands and placed it on the tray next to his, "AT LEAST NOT UNTIL YOUR SKIN GOES BACK TO NORMAL."

"I could be healing myself faster if I had my things."

"BUT YOU DON'T HAVE THEM," he got up carefully and grabbed the tray "YOU WILL HAVE TO REST UNTIL SOMEONE CAN-" he made a pause, looking at the door as if he could see through it "-HELP YOU."

"I know," you saw him walk to the door and open it. He stared at it and bent to cross the doorframe making you laugh. He didn't even bother closing it.

You heard from the hallway the heavy steps of the dwarf approaching and entering your room.

"Hello, niece," he sat next to you "You okay?"

"Hi, uncle Thelmyl," you fixed your pillows a bit to be more comfortable "I'm fine, just bored, I'm not used to this" you gesture to your resting body "what about you? I didn't see you or Red again after you went to the... kitchen?"

"The kid and I will cook the best of the armors and weapons you've ever seen."

"Uh... Uncle? Why do you say 'cook'?"

"Cooking, forging, it's the same thing" No, they are not, "I do both in the same place," he crossed his arms and got silent for a bit, "Okay, mini Manthe, here's the deal. You eat your food, you rest and later, I'll tell you some stories about your parents."

"Will you really do that?" You heard some stories from your mom, but she only told you about the ones when she traveled alone and a few with your dad, she never said more about it. You knew there were dark times, at least that's how your parents called them. 

"Yes," he got up "Now rest because the faster you recover, the faster you can talk to them so they can calm down." You saw him walk to the door, and decided to rearrange your pillows to sleep. The door closed behind the dwarf "No, no, you aren't going there, she's resting, baby skeleton," you didn't get to hear Edge's reply "I don't care, you're going to repair the door you broke."

You closed your eyes in an attempt to listen to what the skeleton replied, but ended falling asleep instead.

* * *

"SANS! RETURN THAT TO ME!" the scream on the hallway jolted you awake. You had no idea what was going on.

"entry seventeen, update!" you heard Red chuckling, and movement from the hallway, "today, she showed interest in brain teasers and-"

"I'M WARNING YOU!" a loud bang came from the same direction.

"AND I DEMAND YOU SHUT UP!" You knew that voice! "KEEP IT DOWN UNDERLING." Black was awake, and you couldn't be happier about it. Another one of your traveling companions was awake. He was the last one to join and the one you didn't have the chance to share many stories with, but you still felt a rush of relief knowing he wasn't unconscious anymore. 

"CAN IT, PEASIZED TYRANT!"

You were fully awake now, and alert enough to hear the heavy steps.

"Great! As if two of you awake weren't enough!" Thelmyl screamed.

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT PEASANT OR I WILL END YOU."

There was a pause, and the next thing you heard was a furious yell.

"woah, ol' man, thelmyl," you heard the door unlock and saw how Red entered your room, walking backward, "chill, ya don't wanna scare, kitten, right?"

"Uncle?" you called out to him. You saw how the veins of the exposed parts of his skin stuck out and his breathing was similar to the one of a crazed animal.

"ya see, ol' dwarf?" Red sat next to you, Edge's journal in hand, "ya woke 'er up."

The dwarf looked at you, causing you to sit fast and make a move towards the place where you usually kept your crossbow. Your hand was met with the absence of your weapon. 

You saw Thelmyl start breathing deeper each time, his veins and skin looking the same as the other days. Edge and Black were looking from the doorframe. Taking the chance of Red's distraction, you took the journal from him and give him a nudge on the head with it.

"Don't blame, uncle, it's on you that I woke up."

"DAMSEL, WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR SKIN?!"

"Hello, Black," you got comfortable on the bed, wincing a bit. You were getting used to the tingling pain, but your body still reacted. And sitting up that fast didn't help, "How are you feeling?"

"DO NOT IGNORE MY QUESTION."

"It's a thing that happens to creatures like us, get used to it brat."

"I AM NOT A BRAT! AND WHO ARE YOU?"

"I'm the owner of this house, Mastersmith of The Unorthodox forge, and I call you however I want!" he huffs "Niece, you gotta learn how to choose teammates better."

"Black, uncle Thelmyl and Red, Edge's brother, have been helping us." You feel Red's arm sliding over your shoulder.

"yeah, kitten here's tellin' the truth" he leaned on you, it was a bit uncomfortable because your whole body felt hurt, but you missed contact like that. You enjoyed it, "ain't gonna tell ya to stop fightin' or to take da stick outta the ass ya developed fer that, but i'm sure kitten wants us to get along just fine," his arm slid down and his hand rested on your waist, "right, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, that would be nice." The weight of the skeletal barbarian on your bed was removed by the dwarf.

"Careful, kid. Don't get too handsy," he placed his beard over Red's skull "Unless you want me to have a skull-shaped tankard."

"isn't mah skull a bit too big for dat ol' dwarf?"

"Are you trying to convince me to do it or what?"

"uh, no, mastersmith." Thelmyl released him from the grip of his arm around the skeleton's neck.

"It's dinner time, so we're going to eat here, and after that, you're getting your story, niece." At the sight of Red sitting on the chair next to your bed, he pulled him towards the door "You're going to pay for the damage of the wall."

"what? i'm not!" 

"Yes, you're, so get ready to get your money taken again." 

"one thin' is payin' for mah bro, i don't hafta pay for da brat!"

The dwarf just grabbed all three of the skeletons, "Brat, you'll repair my wall-"

"I REFUSE TO FOLLOW THE ORDERS OF-

"-Baby skeleton, get the cushions and get them on her room, we're sitting on the floor."

The taller skeleton just grumbled under his breath. It looked like he got the idea of not pissing off the dwarf.

"Kid, you're helping with the food."

"STOP IGNORING ME!" 

The last thing you saw was how Thelmyl lifted Black with one arm and closed the door.

* * *

**Thelmyl' PoV**

"uh, thelmyl, not dat i mind-" If my almost two centuries taught me something, was that a _but_ would follow that sentence "-but-" I knew it "-how long are we gonna eat da same soup?"

"Three days." I push the tray with two bowls, the water jar, and cups into his arms.

"three?! don't cha think it's too much?"

"Don't make me turn them into five." Red, as my niece called him now, just clicked his tongue at me. He knew there was no fighting me. He knew I pulled through with the things I said. I grab the other tray and find the bratty skeleton finishing the repair. "That looks bad," it was terrible, the task was just filling a hole with a paste. It wasn't hard to do.

"FOR YOUR INFORMATION WHAT I, THE MALEFICENT BLACK, DO IS ALWAYS PERFECT,"

"Uh-huh, I can see why you think it's perfect." I snort a bit "It looks just like a brat would do," He frowned and was about to say something, but I kept talking "You'll do it again tomorrow, brat, it's dinner time." I walked past him "I'll teach you how to do it." I had the idea that crafting was something skeletons were good at. The kid broke things, in an out of the house, but he was perfectly able to repair them.

Inside the room, I was satisfied with how the baby sibling arranged the room. It looked like he even cleaned up. Y/N was sitting next to him, on one of the cushions, pillows on her back, with one of the blankets draped around her shoulders and another covering her legs.

"Why are you on the floor, girl?" Her (e/c) orbs looked at me and then to her hands.

"I wanted to get out of the bed a bit, and sit with all of you." The girl may be adopted yet she felt so similar to them. She looked at her hands the same way Eggath did after doing something that could get him or us in trouble. I just shook my head and gave them their food. 

I grab the last bowl and sit in front of them. If I was gonna tell a story later, this was the best spot. I see the familiar skeleton plop down on her other side, and the brat walking inside staring daggers at the other two. If I learned something from my friends, it was to read feelings. Both were open about their feelings, but Eggath, he had a severe problem.

"Sit down, and eat all your soup. I'm not cooking something different until she recovers, so you better get used to it."

...

I can't understand why the kid thought it was too much. The girl, his baby brother, and even the brat ate it contentedly. I waited for all of them to finish and left the dishes to the side. 

No need to rush to wash them. Besides, she was already looking towards me expectantly.

"Now that we're done, are you ready for a story, niece?"

"Yes, I am!" I could see her nudging the skeletons at her side in a way to tell them to pay attention. The girl liked stories. That was good. 

"WHAT KIND OF STORY ARE YOU GOING TO TELL, DWARF?"

"One of the best ones, if not the best, you've ever heard skeleton brat." 

"YOU BETTER START IT QUICK, MASTERSMITH," Okay, it's official, skeletons have no manners. I'll need to speak to Manthe about this.

"Well, keep your jaws shut, because I'll tell the story of how I rescued your mother 23 years ago."

* * *

_I was on my ship, The Barracuda, snow started falling, and it was better I stopped sailing for that day. I knew she would resist anything, so I just secured her, and started walking back to my house, the same one we are sitting now._

_And that's when I heard something near me. There was a large creature holding a plank. I didn't know what to do, it was my first time seeing someone that big. I got to their side, and just when I was going to turn them around, their hand got around my ankle as if it was nothing. Look at my ankle! It is massive, but this hand still got around it._

_Many coughs came from the creature, I could see how they struggled to get the water out of their lungs, but they still managed to glare at me with their orange eyes "Friend or foe?"_

_"None, just checking if you were alive, that's all." There was no way I could call her a friend after barely a minute._

_When she dropped limply on the snowy sand, I worried. I didn't care if she lived, but I cared if she died because I didn't try to help. If she lived, that could only mean she was meant to stay alive._

* * *

"Souheth would decide for her, and you, right?" I looked at the girl's face, and it was easy to read that something bothered her.

"Don't interrupt me, Y/N"

"Oops, sorry."

* * *

_I lifted her easily and started walking back home. The weight of her body was nothing for a blacksmith and a barbarian like me, but it was uncomfortable to pick her up. I ended taking one of the sails of The Barracuda and I dragged her up the mountain. I had to use 3 blankets to make the ugliest dress ever for her because no one had clothes that would fit her. She looked like a sack full of potatoes!_

_I cooked the same soup we ate now, Cœur du feu and some tubers, the traditional meal we eat whenever you get frozen up._

_That was the first time I had a guest break my door. But it has been the only time, someone breaks my door and tries to use it as a weapon against me._

_"Are you out of your mind?!" I screamed while dodging her attacks._

_"Where are my clothes, dwarf?!" I grabbed my ax, the one I used to keep in the hallway, and used it to stop her from swinging the door any further._

_"Phrite is mending them, crazy giant!" That's when I noticed that she was bending. She couldn't fit in the house without doing so, and I started to laugh out loud "You can't stand up straight!" Have you seen how tall are Goliaths?_

_She just looked at me, and eventually joined in with the laughter, we calmed down, both of us setting our weapons down. Well, my door and my ax. But those are details._

_"My name is Manthe," she offered her hand, "I'm sorry about the door, last time I woke up in a stranger's room... things got messy."_

_"Messy as in you broke the room or..." she looked like she was trying to process what I meant, yeah, just like you are doing now girl._

_"Oh no! I didn't mean it that way, dwarf!"_

_"The name's Thelmyl Runeforged, got it?" She nodded._

_With introductions out of the way, we would've shared a meal, but your mother was a clumsy, awfully hungry at the moment and grabbed the whole pot with soup, and ate all our dinner. She offered cooking for me after realizing her mistake, but I didn't want her in my kitchen. Who knew what kind of mess a young Goliath could make in my kitchen or any kitchen!_

_Phrite arrived later, with extra food and clothes. She was always a lifesaver and ready for everything. She talked to your mother and even got her to share what she had been doing before falling into the ocean._

_Manthe sat down, and moved her arms everywhere, telling us how she heard the rumors of a sea serpent that sunk ships in the northern waters of the Wayward Ocean, and after seeing the distressed looks of fishermen, she took a boat and rowed from The Golden Peninsula as far as she could. She felt it was her duty to help those poor people from the menace of that monster._

* * *

"thelmyl, i've told ya, those ain't monsters." How sensitive.

"Yeah, yeah, that creature then." I have to change my whole way of talking just for one damn skeleton! "Will you stop interrupting me, now?"

* * *

_She encountered the creature, face to face. The sea serpent was the biggest thing she had ever seen, the biggest challenge on her path. And the imbecile decided to fight it. With her fists._

_She climbed on its back and started punching it, trying to get some damage with the spikes of her gloves. Until one of her fists broke the skin and she managed to get her arm inside the flesh of the giant beast! But the creature didn't scream or writhe in pain. It was like it didn't even feel it. But Manthe, she could feel the moment the serpent sunk in the water again, and her arm was completely stuck inside the thing. It kept getting to the surface, giving her the chance to breathe while she needed it._

_She was like that for a day or something, when she, finally, got her arm out of the sea serpent, holding tightly to it, she waited until she came across with the plank that eventually brought her to the beach._

_"I was so hungry and tired. I didn't think I was ever going to see land again."_

_"If you didn't tell me, I would've thought you were hungry all the time." Have you ever seen how a Goliath eats? As travelers, they feast on anything they catch. Even a werewolf has more manners._

_But, sweet Phrite informed her that she was out for three days after I brought her to my place, and Manthe freaked out and begged her to let her leave to hunt the sea serpent again._

_"Pick your fights carefully, Manthe, you'll be more helpful alive than dead. Imagine how much your family would worry." Forever wise, the lovely Phrite, advised Manthe._

_"Phrite, there's no family I can go back to anymore."_

* * *

"And that's enough for today, girl." It was late, and I needed to keep working on forging. I grabbed all the dishes and got up. The cushions could stay here, I still have many stories to tell.

"Wait, Uncle Thelmyl!" I turned around to face her, "do you know what happened to her family?" 

The curious look on her eyes was something I didn't see on any of my friends, "Tomorrow, I'll tell you about it, okay?" 

"B-but-" I got out of the room and closed the door behind me. The topic was a sensitive one to me. It happened so many years ago, but the memories from it still haunt me. Still, the girl would need to know if she keeps going on her journey.

I'll have to talk to her parents again. They have been too soft on her, and it is time that she learns from the past.

* * *

After Uncle Thelmyl closed the door behind him, you couldn't help but stare at the door. Your parents never said anything about it whenever you asked. 

A boney finger pressed against your cheek, you looked at the one doing it, and found Red with his sockets open wide. Another hand slapped it away from you.

"STOP THAT, SA- RED!" You were pressed against the two of them, and it was slightly uncomfortable, the tingling on your arms intensifying with it.

"YOU TWO GET AWAY FROM THE DAMSEL, NOW."

"listen, blackberry, raspberry, or whatevah fruit ya are," you could feel the rumble of Red's voice on your arm, "she's in good hands here," he held your hand with his and gave you an intense stare, "ya just gotta ask and i'll show ya what i can do with 'em, kitten."

You were going to ask what he could do when he teleported away, a line of bones came out of the floor from Black's direction and he clicked his tongue and looked at the door, walking out of it fast and quiet. The paladin released you from his grasp and after making sure you were fine, he lifted you and got you on the bed.

"I AM GOING TO DUST YOU!"

The permanent frown of the taller skeleton deepened, his anger was palpable.

"GOOD NIGHT, LADY Y/N" he huffed "I HAVE TO KEEP THAT DEPRAVED BROTHER OF MINE FROM GETTING DUSTED."

"Good night, Edgey, and good luck with your brother."

You yawned, your body's demand for rest taking hold of you once again.

* * *

The feeling of a soft blow in your ear jolted you awake, and you listened to the heartful laughter of Red by your side.

"RED! STAY AWAY FROM THE MAIDEN!" You recognized the voice immediately, you sat up and saw Blue right next to Red.

"Blue, you woke up!" If yesterday you were happy, today you were even happier, waking up to another one of the brotherhood members being conscious was incredible.

"he isn't the only one awake, pixie." A voice came from the direction of your feet, and you found a smiling wizard gazing at you, exhaustion evident on his bones.

"Sans!" you looked at both of your friends, "I missed you so much, you don't know how worried I've been." It was fantastic that the two of them woke up, "When did you wake up? Where's Black and Edge? Are you two okay? Did Stretch wake up?"

"woah, woah, pixie, calm down."

"YEAH, MAIDEN, YOU ARE STILL RECOVERING!"

"I am calm and happy to see you guys!" 

"with dat enthusiasm in mornings, ya'll get anyone happy ta see ya, kitten." You noticed how Sans' pinpricks disappeared.

"STARS! RED, DON'T SAY THAT KIND OF THINGS IN FRONT OF HER!" you didn't know why the cleric's face was bright. Did you miss something?

Whatever you missed, it brought another roll of laughter from the barbarian skeleton, "looks like baby blue ain't so innocent after all."

"I UH..." he looked at you a couple of times, nervously "I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN, RED, I'M JUST SAYING THAT YOU SHOULDN'T TALK TO HER THAT WAY."

"about your questions, pixie," you noticed Sans sitting on the bed, "we woke up during the night, black and edge are cleaning up, i'm fine but-"

"BONE-TIRED, MAIDEN." You giggled, you had missed their puns.

"-and stretch is still unconscious."

"BUT DON'T WORRY, MAIDEN! IT'S NOTHING MY MA-" You push one of the pillows over the oldest Sans, interrupting his words.

"I got the message!" Red stared at you lifting one of his bonebrows, making you pull the pillow away from the skeleton, "Uh... Red? Can you get Edge, please?"

"ya want me to brin' boss here," you nod "want me to get 'im away from cleanin'," you kept nodding "'kay, but on one condition."

"Depends on what is it." You didn't expect him to say that, but you hoped it was something easy.

"ya get better and ask thelmyl ta lift the tavern ban-"

"Okay, that seems easy."

"-and ya hafta drink with me." You smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

You pulled your hand out "Sir, you got yourself a deal." The smirk he gave you made you wonder if you made the right choice when he held your hand.

"i'm gonna tell pyrus the news, i'll be right back." He winked, and once more poofed away.

"SANS?"

"yeah, blue?" 

"DID HE JUST...?"

"yup, right in front of us."

"What are you two talking ab-"

"SANS, GET BACK HERE YOU DEPRAVED DOLT!" The weight of the bed shifted again, Red was sitting smugly on the bed. From the hallway, the hurried sound of steps approaching made you wonder what the barbarian said to make anger his brother this time. The door opened, part of the door cracking when it did "WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?!"

"just sittin' here, gettin' ta know her," he gave a deep chuckle "we're goin' out, right kitten?"

"Yes," you smiled, "We will go to the tavern, you should join us, Edgey!"

"wait, edgey?" Red looked at his brother and snorted "d'awww, baby edgey," he was laughing again, at least until his brother picked him up.

"I DARE YOU TO REPEAT THAT, BROTHER."

"uh, ya really want me ta do it?" the sweat on Red's skull was visible, and if you thought the paladin frowning could have been intimidating, the smile that he gave his older brother was even more dangerous, "'kay, gotcha, boss." With the grip on his clothes gone, Red fell on his feet, stumbling a bit to regain his balance.

"EDGE, YOU SHOULD BE NICER TO YOUR BROTHER, EVEN IF HE'S A PERVERT, THAT WAY YOU CAN GUIDE HIM THROUGH THE RIGHT PATH."

"i don't know, maybe he deserved it." Said the wizard, leaning on the wall while sitting on the bed too.

You sighed "Edge, don't let what he says get to you, okay?" you gave him a sympathetic smile "But Blue is right, be nicer to him, okay?"

"DON'T DEFEND HIM, PIXIE WIMP," you were surprised by that, he hasn't called you a wimp in a long time.

"Hey, I know you're grumpy but there's no need to start calling me a wimp again." Of course, you weren't going to allow him to start calling you that way again. "I told him to call you here, I need to talk to you and Blue," the cleric looked at you, tilting his head, "in private."

"SANS, NEXT TIME SHE CALLS JUST SAY IT!"

"got it, boss," the older sibling walked out of the room, not without giving it one last look. You saw as Sans got up from the bed lazily. Giving a soft pat to your leg, he followed after his counterpart at a slower pace, closing the door behind him.

"MAIDEN?" the bandana-wearing skeleton broke the silence "WHY DID YOU CALL EDGE HERE?"

You sat on the bed and pulled your legs closer to you, your head was resting on your knees now. You signaled both to approach, and both did, sitting on the bed.

"You can't just say the H-word like that Blue."

"HE SAID THE H-WORD?" the taller skeleton questioned.

"Almost, I got a pillow on his face."

"WHICH H-WORD ARE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT?"

"There's more than one?"

"WHAT'S THE OTHER H-WORD, BLUE PEST?"

"UH, WHAT'S THE ONE YOU WERE USING?"

"Any variation of the word-" you take a look behind the cleric as if you could look through the door and know if someone was there. After a bit, you finished your sentence "-heal."

"LADY Y/N IS RIGHT, WE DON'T KNOW HOW OTHERS WOULD TAKE IT." Edge's volume matched yours, he knew how important was discretion for the talk.

"BUT THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH IT!" Even Blue's voice was a murmur.

"I know, but we don't know if we're safe to say it. And we don't know uncle's view on it."

"SURELY THELMYL HAS NO PROBLEM'S WITH IT, RIGHT?"

"WE HAVE NO IDEA, AND YOU WON'T PUT US ON RISK ABOUT IT, OKAY?"

"BUT I'M THE ONE THAT HAS THE H-WORD MAGIC! IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU."

You grabbed Blue's hand and gave it a soft squeeze, "And that's why I'm warning you, I don't want anything to happen to you Blue."

He gave you a soft smile, "YOU DIDN'T NEED TO CALL EDGE TO TELL ME THAT."

"Oh, no. I called him so that he can help you."

"WHAT?" "WHAT?"

Both had puzzling looks on their faces now, "If you want to help your brother, you'll need someone to keep an eye out for you just in case, and I can't help you, Edge is reliable about this stuff, I'm sure he can help."

"YOU WANT ME, TO HELP HIM HELP THE ASHTRAY?" You nodded.

"The sooner we all recover, the sooner we can continue our journey... It won't be good to stay in one place, you know?"

"EDGE, PLEASE, I WANT PAPY TO RECOVER SOON," the pleading look Blue gave the paladin was the softest you've ever seen, but it only made the younger skeleton recoil, and you chuckle.

"IF I AGREE, WOULD YOU STOP THAT DISGUSTING FACE?"

"YES, I WILL!" the stars were back on his sockets.

"OKAY, WE HAVE A DEAL-" The door opened and the three of you jumped, Edge falling sideways on top of you and Blue stumbled forward causing you two to knock your foreheads. And for someone so soft looking, his skull was hard.

"What are you two doing there?" The voice of the dwarf was unexpected, but at the smell of food, you realized why he was in the room. The two skeletons moved away from you.

"SHE WAS TELLING US A HORROR STORY MR. RUNEFORGED," Blue approached the dwarf and took the tray from his hands "YOUR SUDDEN ENTRANCE SCARED US OUT OF OUR SKIN."

The dwarf laughed, "That was a good one."

"I KNEW YOU WERE A COWARD THE MOMENT I SAW YOU." Black entered the room holding another tray, "YOU NEED TO FIND BETTER MINIONS, DAMSEL."

"They aren't my minions, Black, they are our teammates, members of the same brotherhood."

"A brotherhood, niece?" You nodded at the question.

"Yes, we are known as The Ivory Brotherhood, wanted criminals and all that now." Maybe it wasn't a good idea to say the name.

"That's an excellent name," he sits on your bed, handing you your food and taking his share, "Unlike the names your father would come up with."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WITH THAT, MASTERSMITH?" The paladin settled on the place next to your bed. He was tall enough to be able to see with no problem.

"Let's eat and, if you finish soon, maybe I'll tell you a story earlier today." The rest of the skeletons entered the room, settling in any place they wanted.

"WHAT STORY IS THAT MR. RUNEFORGED?"

"The story of how Manthe met Eggath, Champion of Xylsis, Paladin of Vengeance."

* * *

_Manthe stayed in the house of Thelmyl for a month. Her friendship with the dwarves kept improving, and she became quite a sight in The Unorthodox Forge. Everyone talked about the giantess and listened to her multiple adventures, exchanged stories, and invited her for every small event or reunion that happened._

_Phrite was the best merchant of The Forge, and every month, she had a delivery to make, the trip would last two weeks, and every dwarf would say goodbye to the caravan, waiting for it to come back with news of the next town._

_The absence of Phrite was something everyone could notice at The Forge, she was the heart of the place, the everlasting fire of it._

_The presence of Manthe made it easier to spend the time waiting for the merchants to come back. She wasn't clumsy as the blacksmith thought at first, the problem was that she didn't fit inside the buildings as nicely as the dwarves did, but out of them is when everyone could see her shine._

_Manthe would come and go, deciding to make the mountain the place where she would return. Sometimes, she would stay in the mountain and train, help with anything she could to repay the dwarves for their generosity. Other times, she would get better equipment to continue her travels, and many times, she would wait for Phrite to return from her monthly deliveries. The two dwarves that helped her on that first day became family to her._

_Years would pass following the same rhythm. The barbarian joined the ranger and both would train together, fighting and improving in equal ways. Multiple times one had to carry the other back home unconscious and had to take care of them._

_Thelmyl thought of Manthe as the sibling he never got, a confidant. He expressed to the giantess his wishes to marry Phrite as soon as she was back from her last trip, and the Goliath couldn't feel happier about it, and even agreed to wait to that date before resuming her journey._

_But that year, the caravan never came back. Instead, only one of the dwarves that went on that trip returned. It was a dark day for The Forge, everyone was worried about their families, friends, and loved ones._

_They assisted the damaged dwarf, helped him recover, let him explain what happened. But there was never too much to explain, he forgot most of it, the only thing he remembered was the ambush, the growl, and the cloaked figures that appeared on the road. He found himself in the middle of the mountain path, covered in blood and with a destroyed caravan by his side._

_No one dared to ask if the others were alive._

_No one but Manthe. She questioned every detail, she asked about the kind of wound he had, about the horses that pulled the caravan, about every single detail she could think of and there was no one to stop her. She left the dwarf shaking, and everyone assumed he was scared of what the Goliath would do, so they started pulling her away._

_But when the dwarf's clothing started ripping, the sound of his bones cracking, his body changing, his skin getting covered in more hair the giantess started fighting back, trying to get the multiple dwarves off her. If anyone listened to her, the creature wouldn't have jumped over a dwarf, sinking his claws and biting their neck, only to rip the flesh killing them instantly._

_The Forge became a pandemonium that day. Dwarves running, others trying to arm themselves against the boar-like creature in front of them. But none of them knew how to fight it._

_But Manthe knew about it, and as soon as the dwarves released her, she punched him and shouted demanding her gauntlets, or any silver to be brought to her._

_Thelmyl was in his room, unaware of the chaos outside. He never left it after the news of the attack. He didn't want to think of it, but he feared the worst. He refused to admit it, but he felt deep inside that Phrite was gone._

_She didn't know how to fight and never picked interest on it, she honed her skills as a merchant so she could charm anyone, become the best at selling the Forge's goods._

_He was the only dwarf that made weapons with silver, but he wasn't opening his doors at the moment._

_And that's when he appeared._

_He wasn't riding a horse or wearing a shiny armor. In fact, he was missing half of it. He was covered in blood from his head to his toes as if he bathed on it. With heavy steps and panting hard, he walked through the tumultuous crowd of dwarves, holding the head of another creature similar to the one Manthe was fighting._

_"Catch!" He threw a javelin at the other Goliath, but failed on his throw and instead pierced the creature with it, causing it to scream like the swine it was, "Sorry! I meant to throw it to her, not you!"_

_Another punch was delivered to the wereboar._

_"Why are you apologizing to this beast?!" the ranger pulled the javelin from its back. The wereboar tried to attack with its tusks but failed, so it attacked with its claws and made contact with the hard skin of the Goliath, ripping it a bit._

_"I didn't mean to stab it yet!" The other Goliath pulled a greatsword and approached the boar, it shined mightily matching the way his pauldron did the same._

_The shapechanger had no chance against both Goliaths. Even as they kept discussing with each other, the wereboar had no chance against them._

_The fight became onesided, the intervention of the paladin was enough to bring it to a quick end._

_Both were a bit tired, looked damaged, and had the blood of the creature on their hands._

_"Are you okay, lady?"_

_"Of course I am, a wereboar is nothing to me." Replied the proud ranger._

_"Is that what it was called?" the confused Goliath looked at her, "I've been calling them hogswitchers all this time."_

_"What?"_

_"Hogswitchers!"_

_The ranger pinched the bridge of her nose at the stupidity of the name._

_"Oh, right," he cleared his throat and stood up proudly "The name is Eggath Truthheart, may I know your name?"_

_"Manthe, Monster Slayer, wandering ranger." And after she said that, he pulled her in a hug, earning a yelp from her._

_"We shall greet each other the way Goliaths do," he squeezed her tight and released her softly "No need to be so shy."_

_"Is this how our people greet each other?"_

_"It is," he looked at the head he dropped at some point, "Uh, have you seen a bunch of cloaked figures?"_

_That picked Manthe's interest immediately, remembering what the dwarf mentioned during her interrogation. "What do you know about them?"_

_"Answer my question and I may share with you my Holy Quest, Manthe."_

* * *

"The only family your mother met was Phrite and I," the dwarf got up from the bed, it was evident that he wanted to leave "The same day we learned we lost her, your mother met Eggath, we never told him, but we felt it was fate." He looked at you, "We always thought she guided him to this place."

"BUT THE DWARF! WAS THERE ANY WAY TO SAVE HIM?" the cleric asked. 

You were used to tales and stories that would go that way, but it was clear that it bothered some of the monsters.

"Listen, lad, the only cure we ever found for that curse had to be given to that dwarf 24 hours after he was bitten and he had been like that for days," he looked at each of the skeletons "If they let that dwarf stay alive, more would've been cursed, the only option was to keep them chained, and that's not a life any of you want." He leaned against the wall, "You need to learn from the past to get ready for this journey."

"But why did you tell us this story?"

"Because Eggath and Manthe would've never told you how they met," he gave a tired smile "In our travels, we never stained our hands with innocent blood, only from the ones that deserved it. The line tends to be blurry, so it is better to keep your allies close to keep you on the straight and narrow." He sighed, "If we could've found the way to end things peacefully, without fighting, we would've done that. But we have to live with all the things that happened and in the memory of those who have fallen we'll bear those moments with pride, there's no shame in fighting to keep yourself alive or to protect those you love."

"I CAN RESPECT YOUR WAY OF LIVING, DWARF." Black was the first of the skeletons to talk, "IN THE UNDERGROUND I LIVED, MANY WOULD ATTACK EACH OTHER WITH NO REASON."

"IT WAS KILL OR BE KILLED," the paladin said, eye sockets closed, "IT WAS AN OPEN ARENA, WHERE THE SMALLEST SIGN OF KINDNESS WOULDN'T GO UNPUNISHED," you saw as his hand went over the scar he had.

"there ya couldn't show ya cared fer family, or else they would be used against ya," Red crossed his arms behind his skull and leaned back, "i dunno how things were for vanilla or baby blue here, but fightin' with reasons like dat sounds better than anythin' we had down there."

"BUT THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY, RIGHT?"

"There are other ways," you spoke up, "Like when we fought against those guards and mercenaries, we fought to protect ourselves and we didn't have to... do more than that."

"pixie's right, we got away just fine that time."

"If you can find the way to win only doing that, then that's great, but don't hesitate to end the life of some creatures, like liches, there's no turning back for them and you better remember it."

"WHAT ARE LEECHES?"

"Mages that in their thirst for power sacrifice their humanity, they murder infants," you saw how the skeleton covered his mouth "torture maidens, get their blood and use it as one of the many ingredients of the potion that will kill them and turn them into undead evil mages later." 

"The power ends up corrupting their souls consuming most of their essence, or at least that's what mom said," you explain to the skeletons.

You could tell Uncle Thelmyl meant good when he started talking, but you could tell that Blue would have a hard time accepting it. The lack of tact from the dwarf was incredible, but at the same time, you appreciated the honesty. You learned a bit more about your parents and the dwarf in front of you.

He told you the story even if it meant remembering what happened to the person he loved, and you could appreciate that.

You heard the sigh from the dwarf "Hey, how about I tell you a nicer story tomorrow?" he was scratching his beard, "Do you know the one of how Manthe proposed to your father?"

"What? Mom was the one to propose?!" You had no idea about it and you never asked about it. Why did you never ask about it?!

"Yes, girl, she did it the Goliath way because Eggath was too dense to notice her feelings any other way." The skeletons started murmuring on the background, it looked like the conversation picked their interest.

"Wait, they weren't dating before she proposed?"

"Manthe didn't know there were steps for dating so she did it literally as everyone else would, but you Goliaths wouldn't notice if someone was interested without those steps."

"Uncle, I'm sure any Goliath, including one at heart like me, would be able to notice if someone liked us," for a moment the whispers the skeletons were making stopped "Not everyone is as dense as my dad."

"Uh-huh, sure girl," he walked out of the room, muttering something under his breath that you couldn't catch.

"UH, MAIDEN?"

"What is it, Blue?"

"GOLIATHS HAVE A DATING MANUAL?"

"Hmmm... kinda? It is more like we have a very specific set of steps about it, and about most of our customs, but you learn about them growing up."

"SO THERE'S NO BOOK TO LEARN ABOUT THEM?"

You thought hard, Goliaths didn't write their customs down and they had many, "There's one! I have it in my room, dad wrote it for me to know all the customs of Goliaths and to have a place to check them in case I forgot."

"IT'S AT YOUR HOUSE?"

"Yeah, so if we ever get there, I'll let you borrow it unless you prefer to ask my dad about them. There's no Goliath that knows the customs better than him after all."

"NO, WHY WOULD I BOTHER YOUR DAD WITH THAT, MAIDEN? THE BOOK WOULD BE ENOUGH." His voice faltered a bit at the end.

"HE'S SCARED OF ASKING SIR EGGATH ABOUT IT, LADY Y/N."

"Wait, what?" Why would he be- "Blue, my dad is a big softie, don't worry about his fighting history, he is the kindest Goliath you could ever meet."

"HE'LL ONLY KNOCK YOU OUT 12 TIMES, BLUE PEST."

"WHAT?!" 

"Edge! He did that because you kept trying to fight him!" Red started laughing after what you said.

"ya fought her dad? that was real smart of ya, boss."

"SHUT IT, BROTHER!" the zygomatic bones of the paladin were slightly colored, and it only seemed to intensify with the laughter of his brother.

"DO YOU THINK YOUR PARENTS WOULD FIGHT ME IF I CHALLENGED THEM, DAMSEL?"

"Dad would accept, mom would refuse."

"DAME MANTHE DOESN'T FIGHT ANYMORE."

"why doesn't she fight, pixie?" the wizard enquired.

"Because her journey reached an end, she found what she was looking for, or at least she said that."

"your parents sound interesting, i would like to meet them," you smiled at him.

"That would make me very happy."

After that, the conversation shifted to the things you would do after getting better, starting with talking with your parents and getting some of the Cœur du feu.

* * *

You felt the door of your room open, it was dark, and with the sleepiness amount you had, you assumed it had to be around three in the morning. With no idea of who could it be, you decided it would be better to turn around and find out.

The sight of a slouching tall skeleton almost made you squeal in happiness, but you were too sleepy to show that much emotion, so you settled for the biggest smile you could give him, "You finally woke up, eh, Princess?"

"nyeheheh," he sat next to you and motioned you to move, and you obeyed. He then laid on the bed, over the blankets next to you, "would've woken up sooner with a kiss, honey prince."

You giggled softly, giving a soft yawn at the end "That's for spells, Princess, not exhaustion." 

"fair enough," he got his arm around your waist "mind if i stay here?"

"It's fine, the bed is dwarf-sized, it may be too small."

"where are we, honey?"

"The Forge," you yawn again and feel your eyelids get heavier, "My dwarf uncle's house."

"goliath parents and a dwarf uncle now?" you nod once, "your family is one of a kind, honey" You try to nod again, but sleep was winning against you. Knowing that Stretch woke up made you happy and extremely relieved.

* * *

"PAPY?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"calm down, blue! i'm sure we can find him."

"vanilla's right, yer carrot of a bro must be here."

"HOW CAN YOU LOSE THAT OVERGROWN CIGARETTE?"

"HE IS THE TALLEST OF ALL OF US AND YOU STILL MANAGED TO LOSE HIM!"

The voices of all the skeletons out of your room woke you up. Stretch was already up, making his way to the door. 

"Can you tell them to keep it down, Stretch? Uncle Thelmyl is gonna get mad." You yawned and sat on the bed. You felt so much better compared to the previous days. Maybe you could take a bath. You felt like you needed it.

"keep it down, bro, honey says thelmyl is gonna get ma-" you saw how Blue would've tackled Stretch if it wasn't because the younger brother managed to grab the doorframe.

"PAPY, YOU HAD ME SO WORRIED! YOU WEREN'T WAKING UP AND WHEN I DIDN'T FIND YOU I-" 

"sorry bro, i didn't want to wake you up."

"WHEN DID YOU WAKE UP?"

"like... four hours ago?"

"YOU'VE BEEN THERE FOR FOUR HOURS?!"

"What's all the noise about, lad?"

"hey, thelmyl," the bard gave a little wave to the dwarf.

"Okay, let's make this fast, Red, give me the money."

"oh no, i ain't payin' this time. i haven't even talked to da carrot, and i don't give a flyin' fuck if he broke whatevah."

"PAPY, APOLOGIZE TO THELMYL FOR BREAKING HIS HOUSE."

"but i didn't break anything, bro." 

"oh no, blue, he broke the tradition," Sans looked at the cleric "now we can't make red pay."

"i ain't anybody's sugar daddy to go payin' for your shit," he got to one side and made eye contact with you "but i wouldn't mind bein' yer daddy, kitten."

The sound of something cracking brought silence to everyone. 

"ah, i broke the doorframe." You saw how pieces of it fell from the tallest skeleton's hand, "sorry, thelmyl."

"For Kraveith's sake! Every single time I tell you! Red, it was your fault, pay me the damn money!"

"THAT'S WHY I TELL YOU TO BE QUIET, BROTHER."

"HUH, YOU NEED TO DISCIPLINE HIM BETTER, UNDERLING."

"AND YOU NEED TO SHUT UP, OBNOXIOUS TYRANT."

"You're fixing the doorframe, okay, toddler?"

"i'm not a toddler," Blue nudges his brother with his elbow, "but sure thing, thelmyl."

With a huff and a nod, the dwarf enters your room, "Morning, niece."

"Good morning, uncle, how was your sleep?"

"I still need to sleep, working on your things is taking lots of my time, you know?" You give him a soft smile.

"Sorry about that, uncle," you look at him "is there anything we can do to help?"

"Yes, first, your skeletons could stop breaking my house, second, I need assistance cleaning, third, I need help going for smithing materials."

"Guys! Can you help my uncle, please?"

"dibs on not breaking the house," says Sans, followed closely by Stretch saying the same words.

"I, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE WILL CLEAN AROUND, MR. RUNEFORGED, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME NOT TO LAZE AROUND LIKE THE OTHER ME AND MY BROTHER!"

"I'LL CLEAN TO, FOR I'M THE GREATEST WHEN IT COMES TO CHORES, MASTERSMITH. THE BLUE PEST WON'T RUIN ANYTHING UNDER MY WATCH."

"tsk, i'm the only one that knows where ta get yer supplies so, that."

"I WANT TO SEE WHAT KIND OF SUPPLIES YOU GET FOR THE CRAFTING OF WEAPONS."

"I will... take a bath? Can I take one, uncle?" You begged on the inside for the chance to get one.

"Hmmm... now that you mention it," Your uncle looked at each of the skeletons squinting his eyes, "Lad!" he stopped in front of Blue.

"YES, MR. RUNEFORGED?"

"Give her some healing, a lesser restoration spell could work." His words made you pale and freeze for a moment. When did he discover it? "I met someone like you long ago, so don't try to trick me, the locket, and the symbol makes it obvious for those of us that know Un'jah, so hurry up and heal her."

The cleric looked at you and Edge. The three of you didn't know how to act. 

"Listen, girl, it's an order of The Court, okay?" the words of the dwarf didn't stop surprising you, "Stop looking like a gapping fish, they knew me before you arrived at this world, who do you think introduced Manthe to them? She intimidated them!"

"ARE YOU READY, MAIDEN?" While you were distracted, Blue got closer to the bed, and unlike you, he was calm. You weren't ready but still agreed. The number of people staring at both of you made you feel nervous. Healing yourself was something you were used to doing in the eyes of one or maybe two people.

The cleric held both of your hands in his ungloved ones giving them a reassuring squeeze. He closed his sockets and gave a soft sigh, the locket around his neck started shining, and the familiar feeling of the spell you already knew flew from him to you. The comforting warmth of healing was relieving, and it took over your whole body, the painful tingling you went through the past days started disappearing, and you could notice how your hands returned to their usual (s/c).

The relaxing feeling of magic stopped, and you felt much better.

"MUAH," Blue gave your hands a skeleton kiss, "THERE YOU GO, MAIDEN." He released your hands and gave you a soft pat in the head. "I HOPE I'M WRONG, BUT I'VE GOT A HEALING THAT YOU'LL BE NEEDING MY ASSISTANCE OTHER TIMES, SO REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT WITH THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE."

You chuckled at the pun, not knowing if it was intentional or if he did it without realizing it.

"DON'T YOU DARE START WITH THE PUNS, CATASTROPHIC CLERIC!"

"oh?" Red approached and, after pushing Blue a bit, he sat on the bed next to you, sliding one arm around your shoulders, "i didn't know ya liked puns, kitten."

"Like? I love them! I find them ingenious and funny."

"ya heard dat, boss? she loves puns!" he started laughing at the time his brother started grinding his sharp teeth, "lemme tell ya, dat i got a few, but they may be too much fer ya ta handle, sweetheart."

"Try me, big bro."

"big bro?"

"Yeah, you call me Kitten and Sweetheart, I think it is fair that I get to call you some way. And since Edge is like a son to my parents, that would make us siblings."

You felt the arm get away from your shoulders, and how the barbarian's shoulders started shaking "sorry, boss." And he disappeared from your sight, his laughter coming from somewhere in the house.

"Alright, niece, I'm going to sleep, you can do whatever you want, okay?" the dwarf points at every skeleton "And you necromancer puppets better keep it down, I want to sleep and trust me, I won't doubt before turning you on a training dummy, and there's a reason why I ran out of them."

You saw how each skeleton nodded slowly. 

Uncle Thelmyl was one intimidating dwarf.

* * *

After your bath, you decided to prepare lunch as thanks for your uncle's hospitality.

You still had your doubts about trusting the dwarf. After all, if he was a close friend to your parents, why did they never tell you about him? 

If you thought about it, you could only assume it was because of how abrasive he was. The dwarf had a clear love for honesty, even to the point where he would talk about a sensitive topic to him, like the death of Phrite. You could hear in his words that he still loved her, and in how his voice cracked when mentioning her that it affected him. But for the sake of keeping the story's accuracy.

You didn't know about what journey your parents went through, and you had no proofs to distrust the dwarf, so you decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and form your own opinion about him, at least until you got to talk to your parents.

Cooking lunch was complicated, mostly because the kitchen was a forge with everlasting fire inside it. How your uncle never burnt the soup was a mystery. If it wasn't because you got instructions from Red and the assistance of Stretch and Sans, you would've never been able to cook anything.

You were honestly surprised, Sans and Stretch were skilled with the utensils and knew how to handle the basics of cooking. Both seemed to have some problem with knives, you noticed a bit of hesitation while they used them to cut vegetables.

Still, no matter what happened, the pot roast the three of you prepared was a treat after days of eating only vegetables. You had the feeling with how happy Red looked when you started serving the meal that the dish would be welcomed fondly.

"It's lunchtime already?" You saw how Thelmyl pulled a chair and sat in the dining table, you smiled at how he got comfortable on the chair, wiggling a bit until he was satisfied.

"yup, and you arrived just in thyme for it, thelmyl." Sans sat down next to the dwarf with the rosemary and thyme roast.

"YOU'RE GOING TO LOAF OUR MAIDEN'S COOKING, MR. RUNEFORGED." Blue set the bread on the table and sat next to the wizard.

"I'm sure I'll like it, this smells just like one of Manthe's recipes," he tasted a bit of the food and hummed happily.

"Mom would always say that pot roast tasted best after work," You sat next to Black and Edge on the opposite side of Thelmyl.

The dwarf just kept digging in, eating as if he didn't eat a thing in days. The rest of the skeletons following closely, and you weren't that far behind. 

* * *

After lunch, Thelmyl leaned back on the chair and rested his feet on the table. For many, it would've been seen as rude, but it was his house and after seeing Red do the same, you concluded it was allowed there.

You learned to respect the rules of every place. 

"DWARF!" You noticed how your uncle stumbled at Black's scream and was about to fall, but Stretch that sat at his other side stopped the fall, "I REQUEST YOU CONTINUE WITH THE STORY YOU PROMISED YESTERDAY."

"YES, MR. RUNEFORGED! I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT."

"what story is it bro?" Oh, that's right, Stretch was sleeping and missed the other two stories.

"The story of" your uncle points at you "the girl's dad's infinite density and how her mother had to ask for marriage without dating, toddler."

* * *

**Thelmyl's PoV**

_The five of us had been traveling together for years, Manthe, Eggath, Alasthor, Skyler, and I. We were friends, and with time, we became family. We saw each other grow, fail, cry, and, you get the gist._

_The three of us witnessed the epic density of Eggath and the unrelenting persistence of Manthe._

_In the beginning, she couldn't tolerate how kind and playful the other Goliath was. Apologizing to our enemies when he got the chance to attack them, getting us sidetracked to help anyone he could, and making pranks or playing dumb in front of others._

_Her perception of him changed when one day, he played a prank on her. He approached her and asked her to press the back of his closed hand, which prompted him to open it, and in the back of his fingers, he had written: "Turn around."_

_He had her about half an hour like that, pressing, pulling, and twisting different parts of Eggath's body getting different instructions, and she was getting impatient. When she realized the instructions were a loop that brought her back to the beginning, she was about to punch him, but Eggath stopped her fist and pulled out a small flower, a red camellia made of glass._

_"Thanks for being a joy to have around, Manthe." He put it on one of Manthe's hair locks, and she just stood there, completely frozen. Skyler tried to get her attention, climbing on her back, poking her face but the ranger was a statue._

_Alasthor suggested making money from her current status._

_I proposed making a bet, on which Goliath would confess first._

_Skyler got their bet set on Eggath, and Alasthor agreed with our tiny friend._

_I, on the other hand, knowing both Goliaths for a bit longer knew that Manthe would be the one to do it._

_None of us knew that Goliaths had clear steps for dating, after all, they aren't bound by tradition and don't care about status. But romance and choosing a partner had to be the only thing they took seriously._

_The game started, we saw how Manthe would try to get prettier, how on quests she would try to team up with Eggath, the way she started to sit closer to him, ask how she looked, giggle at his pranks and compliment him._

_All of those were clear signals that she liked him._

_But Eggath didn't get a clue. He would keep acting the same way. He would give her a glass camellia every time the one she had broke during a battle and would call her his right-hand man._

_The day Manthe told Eggath she liked him, he replied: "Thanks Manthe, I like you too. That's why we are the best fighting buddies here."_

_For Alasthor, it was hilarious, Skyler got frustrated at the severity of Eggath's density._

_I was sure Manthe's heart was going to break at it, but the dumb replies he would give just made the fire of her heart stronger. She had always been perseverant, a hunter, and she wouldn't let her objective run away._

_Eggath's kindness earned him a couple of admirers that would invite him out, and he would always accept. Manthe wasn't happy about how fast he accepted an invitation, but he would always invite the rest of us along too, and that was what stopped Manthe's jealousy from sparking._

_Until we set foot in The Obsidian Dynasty._

_Many Goliaths greeted Eggath, inviting him out, hugging him. He was popular, you can't deny how easily one gets along with him. And Manthe noticed that, so she made a choice._

_"Truthheart!" She shouted in the middle of the crowd that welcomed him "I challenge you to three tests of your choice!"_

"Sweet Merxis!" 

_Shut it, niece, don't interrupt my storytelling._

"Sorry Uncle."

_Of course, the rest of us had no idea about what was going on, but the gasp of every Goliath and the protests they made asking Eggath to refuse formed a huge scandal, the glass flowers some held would break by accident with the whole pushing around._

_Manthe was blushing and looked incredibly nervous._

_Eggath had a surprised look on his face. And it was the first time we saw him like that, completely caught off guard. He just smiled and yelled above the noisy crowd "I, Eggath Truthheart, accept your request, Manthe, the Fierce Slayer!"_

_Both went their separate ways, and the rest of us couldn't understand what was going on. So we divided to find out. Of course, I chose to follow Manthe, my sister clearly needed some support after whatever happened._

_And that's when she explained to me that challenging a Goliath and asking them for three tests of their choice was the way to ask for their hand in marriage._

_Accepting meant that the other Goliath was interested._

_They had three days to get ready before the tests, and anyone could serve as witness and jury to them._

_Now, the three tests weren't the same all the time, and they were meant to see if the other Goliath was equal to them._

_Manthe feared what kind of test would Eggath think of. We all knew he was a prankster, so she had her doubts about him taking the proposal seriously, but she really couldn't hold her love back anymore, and if a marriage proposal was what took him to finally realize her feelings for him, then so be it._

_It was all or nothing._

_The rest of us were worried because we were on the last part of our journey, and if this went wrong, we thought we would fail on our mission._

_The fate of Aklirim that day was set on Eggath's hands, and we knew he had no idea about it._

_Three days passed, we spent them rotating between our two friends, Eggath refusing to tell us what were the tests. Our anxiety and stress increased so much those three days that I was sure my blond beard turned green!_

_The moment was there, and the first challenge Eggath set was one of intelligence. It was a test written on paper that both would answer, prepared by Alasthor. He had no idea what the request was about at first, and finding out at that moment was terrible for him._

_They wrote their answers. Alasthor, as the one who wrote it, was the one to give the verdict._

_And he chose Manthe as the winner._

_The test was about creatures and their weaknesses. And as I told you before, Eggath was known for giving the worst names to everything._

_The second test was simple, it was pulling a wire I made, you could pull a whale with it and it wouldn't break! And your hands wouldn't get hurt by its softness. It is one of a kind._

_And that's what they did. The test was to pull that wire and see who would fall first. It was a tug war. One that lasted two hours._

_Two. Hours._

_Both agreed to give up after that. The second test ending with both as equals._

_The third test was one that only us and Eggath's closest Goliath friends got to witness. It was a glass-forming test._

_We thought it was unfair because all of us knew Goliaths were experts at it, and Manthe never lived at the Dynasty._

_The end of it was obvious. Eggath crafted a bouquet of red camellias, and Manthe was only able to craft a leaf._

_Eggath won, and we assumed that was the end of it._

_He gave Manthe the bouquet and declared that it was a draw. Manthe couldn't stop looking at his face, trying to read what that meant._

_"Manthe, marrying you will make me the happiest Goliath," he hugged her, careful not to crash the flowers he crafted, "I love you, my right-hand man, my best fighting buddy, my fierce slayer... my Manthe."_

_I have to confess, that every single one of us cried at this. It was the cheesiest and most stupid thing we ever heard coming from Eggath._

_He separated from Manthe and held her by the shoulders "You could've asked me out on a date years ago, you know?"_

_The disbelief on Manthe's face makes me laugh to this day._

* * *

From all the stories Uncle Thelmyl told you during your stay, this was your favorite.

No story could match it, and you couldn't wait to make more questions about it! But Uncle Thelmyl excused himself saying he would go back to sleep, and everyone protested about it.

But the dwarf just went to his room, leaving you and the skeletons to your thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trivia for this chapter:
> 
> \- While I was writing this chapter, I got many questions on the discord channel about "The Goliath Dating Manual." So I decided to make a copy of it with the steps on the tumblr. It'll be slowly updated so make sure to check it out if you wanna woo someone the Goliath way.
> 
> \- Red earned the hate of every skeleton in this chapter. He doesn't like the MC that way, for now, so his objective is becoming his brother's wingman while teasing him every chance he gets flirting with Pixie/Reader. He will also flirt or make innuendos just to keep the other skeletons from getting closer to her.
> 
> \- Half of the chapter got deleted while I was writing because I pressed F5 by mistake. Luckily, I memorized most of the actions and things said, so it's roughly the same chapter.
> 
> \- I read once that the Victorian Meaning of Red Camellias was "You're a flame in my heart," and I felt it went well with the feelings Eggath had for Manthe and how he saw her. Fire represents passion but also intelligence.


	21. Drunken Dwarves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to talk, get some answers, and fulfill a promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song to give me the start and the one that earned the title is a song by Wind Rose.

**Paint Stroke 9th, 325 A.11. Right after the story.**

"I can't believe he left after that!" You wanted to know more about the story, for you, it was a lovely tale.

"I AGREE WITH YOU, MAIDEN," Blue nodded, "I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT."

"I guess we'll have to wait for Uncle Thelmyl to wake up," you looked at the skeletons "I didn't expect you all to get so into the story." Some of the skeletons turned away, trying to avoid your gaze. You could notice most of them blushing and weirdly silent after so many protests at your Uncle's leave. "Oh!" you giggled a bit "No need to be ashamed of it guys, I like romantic stories too."

The deep chuckle of Red followed your statement, "oh, kitten, ya're just like yer dear ol' dad."

"Everyone says that," you smiled fondly "It makes me happy, you know? Since we're not blood-related and all that." You got up and started grabbing the dishes, Black reacted and quickly followed.

"I WILL CLEAN UP, STARS KNOW IF YOU ARE CAPABLE OF DOING SO PROPERLY, DAMSEL." You two get away from the dining room.

"Look, Black," you open the door of the kitchen with your foot, "I can do this without your help, but if you want to help, just say that, okay? I'm not going to refuse if you want to help me." You set everything in the sink of the forge, and start doing the dishes, Black is fast to assist you and starts drying them with a cloth he found somewhere. You don't know if the skeleton ignored you, or agreed with what you said, no matter the case, both of you set into a comfortable silence.

"WHAT TESTS WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE?" Black asked without looking at you.

"Huh?"

"IF SOMEONE CHALLENGED YOU."

"Oh, I guess that would depend on the person and what kind of interest do I have in them," you look up from the spoon in your hand, "I remember this guy that used to train with us, he was completely enamored of this girl that went to my house to learn from mom," you looked at the skeleton, "mom is the best glass artist at The Dynasty now," you handed him the spoon, "The three of us were 19 at the time he popped the question" you shook your head and sighed loudly.

"WHAT HAPPENED, DAMSEL?"

"He tried to date her before and got rejected, so asking her for marriage was even worse. She chose tests in everything she excelled at and defeated him in all of them mercilessly," you found there was nothing else to clean, so you took the cloth from Black's hands and started drying yours, "She accepted the challenge to get him to stop bothering her, and with one of the leaders to witness all three events... he had to give up. We tried to cheer him up with the others and eventually he got better."

"WHAT AN IDIOT."

"You wouldn't say that if you were on his shoes."

"SOMEONE AS MALEFICENT AS I WILL NEVER BE IN HIS SHOES."

You just gave him a surprised look and turned back with a smile. You admired his confidence and wished that his words wouldn't come back to him later with the person he ever chose to spend his life with.

* * *

**Red's PoV**

As soon as Kitten exited the room with the bratty Sans, the tension left in the room was almost tangible. Heh, it was evident that all of them were all over her including, of course, my bro. I wasn't worried, Boss is the coolest. Kinda rough around the edges, but he's a good skeleton. Would have been kinder if the Underground allowed it, but it's clear Kitten noticed he's good. I know he doesn't want me to intervene, but I'll lend him a hand.

"well, bad luck fer ya guys, y'all need the manual to score a date with 'er." I lean back on the chair and get my feet over the table. Stars bless that dwarf for not caring about stupid manners.

"as if you wouldn't need one, red gremlin," and here I thought all Papyrus were a bit nice.

"me?" I just smile, "nah, i already got me a date with 'er, carrot."

I see the shocked look he gives, only to turn into a frown, his right eye showing orange and some yellow sparks. Huh, so he's the judge from his universe.

"IT'S NOT A DATE, BROTHER" Shit, I forgot about Pyrus.

"sure thin', boss" and she isn't here to keep him at bay, "it slipped mah mind she invited ya," I get my arms behind my skull.

"DON'T LET IT SLIP AGAIN."

"the point is, i got her ta agree, somethin' ya can't do on yer own."

"IT HURTS ME TO SAY THIS, BUT" Baby Blue made a short pause, "OUR MAIDEN IS TOO DENSE TO EVEN REALIZE WHEN SOMEONE'S ASKING HER OUT AND IF SHE AGREED WAS TO GO OUT WITH A FRIEND."

"like that time with the human guard in the peninsula." What's Vanilla talking about?

"don't remind me of that, sans." Ok, I'm lost here.

"WE NEED THAT GUIDE TO KEEP HER SAFE FROM UNWANTED APPROACHES." Is he really trying to hide it like that?

"YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND GET THE GUIDE, BUNCH OF BONKERS," I know my brother more than what he expects, and I can see in that sinister expression of his that he has a plan.

I can only pray it doesn't involve me. Last time one of his plans included me and went wrong I had to be the training dummy. It was the worst time of my life.

Boss gets up from the table and motions me to follow him. This is a bad sign. I can feel the sweat starting to form on my skull. I know Pyrus wouldn't hurt me, but he can be one intimidating monster, and decades of keeping this act of not caring had its consequences. 

I notice that the other siblings walk to the other guest room while I close the door to my room. 

I don't care what the ol' dwarf says, this is my room.

"BROTHER, STOP TAUNTING THE OTHERS."

"i dunno whatcha talkin' 'bout, boss." I lay down on the bed. Thelmyl was the one to stay up all night, but he still made me help him most of it. At least sleeping exhausted helps keep most nightmares away.

"SANS," I hate when he says my name like that.

"what now?" He better be quick or else I'll fall asleep.

"STOP THAT AND YOUR UNNECESSARY FLIRTING TOWARDS THE TINY PIXIE."

"wait, wasn't she _lady y/n_ fer ya? yer diary had her name like dat all over it." 

"THAT'S NOT OF YOUR BUSINESS!" This is so entertaining. I haven't been able to pick on him like this since he was a babybones. "AND FOR THE LAST TIME IT'S A JOURNAL!"

"don't worry pyrus, yer secret is safe with me, i'm not gonna tell kitten 'bout _entry seventeen_ or any of the 87 updates ya made to it."

"FIRST, I SWEAR THE PUNISHMENT WILL BE WORSE THAN BEING A TRAINING DUMMY IF SHE EVER HEARS ANOTHER WORD ABOUT IT," There's something worse?! "SECOND, STOP BEING ANNOYING, AND LAST" he pulls out the journal from somewhere "THERE ARE 88 UPDATES TO IT."

"ya know sayin' shit like dat will only make me tease ya more, right?"

"SHUT IT OR I'LL MAKE YOU."

* * *

**Blue's PoV**

"PAPY, WE HAVE TO TALK" I open the door to check if any of the others followed us, but I find the hallway empty. Perfect.

"what's up, bro?"

"THE CEILING, BROTHER," Why is he asking that kind of question now that we have more important things to focus on? "BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER NOW, WHAT MATTERS IS THAT DATING MANUAL."

"okay."

"YOU SAID YOU'VE BEEN IN HER ROOM BEFORE, DID YOU READ IT?"

"nope, just spent the time napping."

"SIGH," I notice how he just closes his eyes, I better talk to him before he starts daydreaming, "WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER TO KEEP THE MAIDEN SAFE FROM THOSE TWO, PAPY."

"those two who?" I see how he opens his right socket and looks at me.

"EDGE AND RED!" I know for certain that Edge has feelings for the Maiden, and Red has been flirting with her all the time, so he must have them too! "I'M SURE BOTH HAVE FEELINGS FOR THE MAIDEN AND IT'S OUR DUTY TO KEEP HER SAFE FROM THEIR ADVANCES."

"not saying that i won't help, but why is that our duty?" I feel myself flush a bit as I try to think about something to say.

"BECAUSE SHE'S AN IMPORTANT FRIEND FOR US." I notice how he starts studying me, and it seems like he's satisfied with whatever he found.

"okay, i'll help you," he frowns a bit "i don't trust the red gremlin."

"SO, WHAT DO WE DO, PAPY?"

"didn't you have a plan or something?"

"NO, I JUST HAD THE IDEA, BUT I'M SURE THAT TOGETHER WE CAN COME UP WITH A PLAN AS MAGNIFICENT AS US." I lift him and sit him next to me on the bed. It's no time to be lazy, we have much to think about.

* * *

When you left the forge, Black just walked to the hallway where all the rooms were while you headed back to the dining room. You expected to find everyone else there, after all, it didn't take you too long to clean everything with the monk's help, but the only skeleton you found was Sans. He was snoring with his skull over the table. You don't know if it's your idea, but you feel that Sans has been sleeping more and more lately. 

"Sans," you say in a low voice to avoid startling him, "Come on, skeleman, you gotta nap on a bed while we have the chance," he stirs a bit and he looks at you with his lazy grin.

"is black in the room?" Right, both were sharing a room.

"I think so? I saw him walk to the hallway and I doubt he went there to talk with the others."

"ok, i'll stay here then."

"Did anything happen?" 

"he gave me a speech on _proper_ sleep, but heh, i guess it doesn't mattress." You smiled at the pun, but this time you didn't laugh.

"Well... keeping a sleep schedule is important," you notice how he returns his gaze to the table, "But I have noticed how some of you have trouble sleeping, Black may not know it yet," you offer him a hand "Come on, you can sleep in the room I'm in, I'll be writing a list of the things we need for our trip."

"nah, i'll be fine here, you go ahead, pixie."

"Listen, Sans, you get there on your own or I'll carry you, it's your choice."

"you won't leave until i agree, right?" You nod and see him start to get up but he stumbles a bit, you react and steady him by the shoulders.

"Are you okay, Sans?" he steps back from your hold a bit, laughing it off and saying he's okay, but again, he almost falls back, "Yeah, I'm not believing that." You approach and in a swift move, pick him up and see how he flushes, probably embarrassed at being carried like a princess yet he lets you do it without protest. When you arrive at the door of your room, he opens the door and you walked to the bed and leave him there, studying his face closely, hoping he'll tell you why is he tired enough to stumble.

"thanks, pixie," he says as he ruffles your hair and turns away from you. You're about to ask him directly what happened, but the sound of his snores keep you from it. 

With a sigh you decide that the best thing you could do is find something to write and start on the list.

* * *

It was the next day when your uncle walks into your room, finding you sitting on a cushion in front of Edge while he helps you dry your hair. On your bed, Red, Sans, and Stretch are sitting, leaning against the wall napping while Black and Blue are talking checking over the list of supplies you would need.

Thelmyl leaves a heavy-looking package on the floor and takes the list and pen off your hands and starts crossing out some things and adding others.

"Okay piles of bones, your clothes arrived and I want you all to be ready to leave in 5 minutes. There're lots of things we need to do," he looks at you "Girl, we're talking to your parents in 15 minutes, so hurry up." He points at the package "Your new clothes and your new armor, if you like the others I made for you, you'll love this one."

"The others you made?"

He looks at you surprised, "I've been the one to make your training gear all this time, girl!"

"No way!" Was he truly the one behind all of that?

"Yes way, now hurry up, you have 4 minutes left." He stumps out, complaining about your parents and why you didn't know about the fantastic gear he prepared for you with his mighty smithing skills all this time.

You look at the door that closes behind the skeletons as they exited the room, and you open the package.

Inside, you find light-colored clothes in a beautiful shade of (f/c). The instant you hold them in your hands, you notice that they aren't only thinner than the winter clothing you bought, they are also warmer, as if the clothes had their own temperature only when you held them, the material was soft and resistant, which made you question what were they made of, or if they were enchanted. No matter the case, you put on the pants and felt they were loose enough for you to move around, but still tight to give a nice shape. You put on the breast binder that you're meant to use while wearing armor, you always felt more comfortable in it, and seeing the armor your uncle brought, you were glad he thought of including one too. The next part of the outfit was the long-sleeved turtle neck shirt and the short-sleeved vest on top of it. You decided to skip the half-plate armor and jumped right to trying the leather leg holster bags. They were more practical than the ones you usually wore on your leather belt and had a bigger capacity. Now taking off your crossbow would be easier. 

You put the socks, and boots on. You liked the fur that lined the top of the boots and the straps on it, they were stylish and different from the usual ones you wore. All the clothing looked far fancier than the usual plain traveling clothes you decided to wear. Even a barbarian like Uncle Thelmyl seemed to have a better fashion sense than you, without skipping the comfort. Maybe you should start trying to care about that a bit more, at least after your journey is over and you are not a wanted criminal. You grab the gloves and the cloak, both were made of the same heavy material and lined with fur similar to the boots, but unlike the rest of the clothes that looked brand new, they looked a bit worn, but well taken care of. 

Finally ready, you stepped out of the room, and found Thelmyl pacing at the end of the hallway. It seemed like you took longer than you thought inspecting the clothes.

"Oh!" He exclaimed noticing your presence, "Why aren't you wearing the armor?"

"I don't think I'll need it for now." Your answer makes him frown.

"You're a group of criminals, you should be always ready!" he gets closer to you and pulls up the hood of the cloak, "We're late because of you, there's no time for your armor, so don't blame me if we're attacked on the way." He takes your hand and guides you outside, walking without waiting for the skeletons. 

The snow crunched under your steps, and you were amazed by it. It had been years since you got to feel it, the cold on your cheeks, and seeing your breath felt new after so long. After walking a while, you saw the buildings and noticed most had a room made of clear crystal, displaying kitchens, forges, and sewing rooms. You noticed that others had their glass walls stained in different colors, making it impossible to tell they were made of that material, but not for you. Just like most Goliaths, you were capable of identifying glass and the ingredients used for making it. 

Crafting it was... different. You were bad at it. No matter how many times you tried, you never got to make a single crystal flower.

"Hey, Thelmyl! Are those your guests?" you couldn't tell from where the voice came from, and the fact that Thelmyl didn't stop walking made it harder to tell.

"Yes! Manthe and Eggath's daughter, their protégé, and the other bone band."

"Wait up! Sans, is one of them your brother?!" You hear multiple voices murmur, and what you think are their steps approaching.

"yeah, but we're in a rush now, nickel, ya see how the mastersmith is walkin'" Red is the one to reply. Right, most people may know him around with that name.

"They all look too small for one to be their daughter." 

"They would never take a weakling as the protégé, right?" 

"Thelmyl, are you sure that she's your goddaughter?

"Is that Phrite's cloak?"

The dwarf stops and you collide against his back.

"Get back to work! I'm busy! If my niece doesn't talk to my sister soon, she'll kill you all!" You put a hand in his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down and take off your hood.

"Uh, hi," You looked around and found a little crowd around you, "I'm the daughter," you were intimidated by the dwarves, "My name is (y/n) Truthheart, I'm human, that's why I'm small," you breathed in and exhaled, "But that doesn't mean anything, I'm their daughter, and I'm sorry, I would love to answer your questions but we have to go, mom wouldn't hurt you and I'm sure you know that Uncle Thelmyl is just exaggerating, right Uncle?"

"Whatever!" He kept walking and started descending a hole that you didn't notice. "Move it girl!"

You just gave the dwarves a soft smile in apology and climbed down the ladder, the skeletons following close. 

In the underground room, there were only old smithing utensils that made you wonder why Thelmyl brought you there. He was just rearranging things, making an even bigger mess of the room. You looked at Red and mouthed to him "What's he doing?" and he just shook his skull and shrugged.

"OH, IT'S A PUZZLE!" yelled Blue suddenly, making most of you jump a bit, "CAN YOU HEAR THE CLICKING SOUNDS WHEN HE MOVES THINGS AROUND?"

The rest of you just looked at each other, trying to listen to whatever he heard and just couldn't. What you felt instead was the soft trembling of the room, and how a door appeared out of nowhere.

It had inscriptions and symbols you recognized as the language of the fey, Sylvan.

_"The gatekeepers of The Blooming Court welcome you. May you enjoy the games you play inside."_

Under it, you found the symbol of Xylsis, but different from what you remember. Instead of the bloodied shield, you found a bloodied card. and on both sides fairy wings. You tried to find a meaning to the card, the inscription, or a connection between Xylsis and the fey, but came up empty. You were about to ask what it was, but the door opened, leading to a room with a mirror in the middle.

The old barbarian pushed you all inside the room, and the door closed. You felt a bit uncomfortable, seeing as your only exit closed. Edge's boney hand rested on your shoulder and you nodded, assuring you were fine, at least for now.

Thelmyl walked straight to the mirror, knocking on it as he would do with a door. 

"Just a moment." A familiar, slightly distorted voice replied, making the dwarf mumble under his breath, "We received news of unwanted guests, Thel." The image of the mirror started to change, getting blurry and bright, slowly forming an image. In there, two figures you could recognize anywhere appeared.

"My little Pixie! You're okay!"

"M-mom?" The sight of her face and her voice filled you with relief, your voice trembling, at the simple word, trying to confirm if it was true.

"My baby, my Pixie, my little girl, Manthe! Our daughter is okay!" You saw how your dad shook your mom by the shoulders, both starting to cry. He turned to you "Is Papyrus, I mean, Edge, okay?"

"I'M RIGHT HERE SIR EGGATH," the skeleton frowned.

"Let me look at you, son!" You saw how your dad smiled, tears still falling "You'll have to bend down, the mirror is Thel's height." The skeleton immediately obeyed and got in the view of the mirror, setting one knee on the floor by your side. Stretch sat on the ground next to you too.

"Oh, would you look at it! The Egg's there too," your dad waved at him, and immediately frowned, "Are you aware of how much trouble you brought us?"

"Truthheart, calm down and let me do the talking." Your mom gave your dad **the look** , the one that said to stop whatever he's doing and let her handle everything. "(Y/N) I want you to hear me out, we don't know how much time we have.

"Are you two okay?" Seeing them cry worried you, and the mention of unwanted guests gave you the sensation things weren't good back home.

"We are now that we can see you, my little Pixie," she sighed and started drying the tears that fell from her face "I want you to listen, I promise I'll try to reply most questions you have at the end, okay?"

"Okay."

"First, I'm happy to see you three are still traveling together and that you are at The Forge with Thel, you'll be safe there, but I don't know for how long," she looks around the room, "A couple of months ago, we started receiving guests, from The Dazzling City," you gasped a bit "The day that, Elite, arrived here we weren't surprised with the news of Doppel Züngig's death, not after what Stretch told us about The Mice Trap. What was unsettling for us was the news they b-brought" you noticed how her lip trembled, and your dad hugged her closer.

"The tabaxi told your parents you had been killed by one of the rebels that were on the run," Thelmyl added, with his arms crossed.

"WHAT?!" Edge was the first to yell, the skeletons that were at the back approached, all getting around you to look at your parents.

"I refused to believe it," your dad said frowning, "We raised you strong and with the knowledge to fight against many, not to mention, that I sent you off with my disciple, and I have to say he is a tough one."

"At that moment, I was too shocked, and your dad was the one to ask about the details."

"He said a tall bard skeleton was the rebel to kill you and that they were looking around for him." Your dad huffed, "I knew immediately he was trying to blame Stretch! But of course, I was smart enough not to mention we knew him."

"I have to admit, that was smart of you Eggath," he looked at your mom.

"What do you mean? I'm always smart!" He looked at you "The thing is, we needed to find you before they did, but any Goliath looking for you would be too easy to spot, so I had to get in contact with some old friends, but first, I needed to get rid of the guests, and play it safe."

"What happened after that?" You were surprised at the events after you left.

"I calmed down your mother, promised to help Elite looking for this skeleton to avenge your death, and thanked them." 

"Eggath, you're still the same tricky imbecile I met all those years ago." the dwarf said shaking his head, "Make it short, after all, guests will arrive."

"After they left the first time, your dad got in contact with, your godfather," your mom smiled at the dwarf "We wanted you to meet in person, not like this... you know, Thel's kind of intense and blunt."

"And there were things you wanted to keep a secret." You said, pouting a bit.

"What? Oh, Y/N, we didn't want to keep things quiet, we just..." she sighed "We promised to tell some things, and tell the whole story once the five us were together."

"I always thought it was stupid and now that you two were parents, you would tell my niece about our adventures, or at least about any of us!" The barbarian yelled. The last sentence made the ambient tense and filled it with an awkward silence. "You didn't even tell her about Phrite, or me! Or about who made her armors, Manthe! You're like a sister to me yet you didn't tell the girl a word!"

"What was I supposed to tell her?!" Your mom yelled back, it was the first time you listened her use that tone.

"The same things I did in the past few days! About how we met, about the day we got word that Phrite died and how you met that husband of yours! For fuck's sake, she didn't even know that!"

**"Enough!"**

The same voice came from two different places, strong, firm, and divine. The glowing eyes of your dad said it all, Xylsis was present. You turned to see Edge and noticed he looked normal, but Red, he was in the same state as your father.

"Runeforged, the promise is not meant to be undone, and you know it." The two vessels turned to Manthe, "I know how hard it is to keep the promise, but he's right, you could've talked more within the limits." You felt a hand on your shoulder "Hello, little one, helping your friend was noble and kind of you, but there are consequences, and you need to deal with them. The bard's little escape gift triggered events that weren't meant to happen now." Xylsis turned to Edge, "My champion, you've done well, and I know you have questions, but don't worry, your brother will answer them a-"

"i ain't answerin' anythin'" the skeleton barbarian just crossed his arms and frowned "ya didn't tell me ya knew pyrus, and ya expect me tah answer shit ya should?"

The only vessel just sighed, "Okay, fair enough, if you're okay with me telling your paper at the Underground, then I'll explain it now." Xylsis smirked.

"ya fuckin' bitch." 

"RED! LANGUAGE!" Blue interjected, finally out of his astonishment at the whole situation, earning a soft chuckle from the goddess.

"Hey! I know you, you're my son's little follower." Xylsis smiles. "I think, you should introduce yourselves, and talk about what you'll do. Baby skeleton, get your new pauldron and let your brother touch it to get your magic back, okay?"

"XYLSIS, I'M NOT A BABY SKELETON!"

"Bye, Baby Skeletons! Pixie Maiden, keep an eye on them, okay?" You see how your dad gets back to normal, "Xylsis' right! Thel, Manthe, and I can hug it out later, the only thing you have to know is that we'll keep playing dumb and we'll get more information. All of you need to stay on the run and try to return to The Obsidian Dynasty as soon as possible."

"Dad, are you sure it'll be okay to return there?" You're worried.

"It'll be fine, everyone's aware of the plan even," he stops and purses his lips a bit "Which one of you is Blue Berry?"

"OH! IT'S ME! I'M THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE BERRY!" the cleric points to himself.

"He is Stretch's older brother, dad." Your mom looks a bit surprised.

"Well, it looks like I need to eat my words, right, Stretch?" the bard shakes his head.

"no need, manthe, we didn't know what was going to happen then."

"PAPY, SHOW MORE RESPECT TO THE MAIDEN'S PARENTS," Blue clears his throat "I'M REALLY SORRY ABOUT MY BROTHER'S BEHAVIOR, SOMETIMES HE FORGETS HIS MANNERS."

"It's fine Blue, as you can see, my brother, Thel is worse." Manthe smiles at the dwarf.

"I have no proofs but neither doubts." Adds your dad immediately.

"That's it, both of you against me in three months." Thelmyl points at them.

"SIR EGGATH, DAME MANTHE, I HAVE SOME UPDATES FOR BOTH OF YOU," Edge stiffens a bit "AND AN APOLOGY."

The three friends look at the paladin, wondering what he's talking about.

"ARE YOU AWARE OF THE EVENTS ON OUR END?"

"I heard about them from Thelmyl, yes, why do you ask, son?" Your dad replies.

"THEN I'LL MAKE IT QUICK. MY BROTHER HAS BEEN LIVING WITH MASTERSMITH THELMYL FOR MONTHS," he looks at Red and clears his throat, but Red is still unaware of it, "BROTHER, INTRODUCE YOURSELF!"

"heya, ol' lady, i can see where kitten got her claws now," he winks at your mom, and Edge looks like he's planning how to end his brother's existence at it, "and 'sup pops? yer daughter is a sweetheart, can see the resemblance now that i metcha. the name's sans, but i'll go by red now, kitten's choice, ya know?"

Your dad starts laughing "Oh, sweet Gnome Rage! He's the opposite of you, Papyrus!"

"I'LL MAKE SURE TO HAVE A TALK WITH HIM LATER ABOUT THIS, SIR EGGATH."

"No, no, it's okay. It's better if he's himself," Your dad looks at Red "I know I don't have to worry, after all, the same deity keeps an eye over us, right?"

"uh, got it pops." For a moment, you swear you heard the soft rattling of bones.

"AS YOU REMEMBER, I PROMISED TO YOU, MY BROTHER AND I WILL KEEP GUARDING LADY Y/N" Your mom lifts an eyebrow softly at his words "AND BRING HER BACK SAFE." Your parents nod, "I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE BECAUSE I CAN'T KEEP THAT PROMISE WITH YOU ANYMORE."

"Edge? What are you talking about?" You can't believe what he's saying. After all the things that happened, after everything you've been through and the many times he brought up the promise.

"THE LATEST EVENTS HAVE PROVED TO ME THAT I CAN'T KEEP HER SAFE FROM MANY THINGS-"

"Edge, you've done your best and it's obvious that there will be situations you can't handle on your own-" he grabs one of your hands.

"I'M NOT DONE, LADY Y/N." He breathes in "AND KNOWING THAT, IT WON'T KEEP ME FROM TRYING TO KEEP HER OUT OF HARM'S WAY AND SERVE AS HER SHIELD, EVEN AFTER TAKING HER BACK HOME."

"And how's that different from the promise you made to us, Edge?" Your dad has a smile on his face. 

"BECAUSE I WON'T BE MAKING IT TO YOU THIS TIME," the paladin turns to you, "I PROMISE THAT I'LL PROTECT YOU WITH ALL I HAVE, TO BE THERE TO SUPPORT YOU THROUGH YOUR JOURNEY," you didn't know how but even with the presence of everyone else, the moment felt, intimate, it made you want to look away but you were caught in the gaze of the paladin, unable to do so, "AND THAT WE'LL RETURN BACK HOME, TOGETHER." The room was silent, and you were trying to process what had been said, but you only blushed. You weren't sure how to reply or if you were supposed to do that in the first place, so you just gave him a silent nod, and he gave your hand a skeleton kiss.

"Yuck, Eggath, your apprentice learned that from you too?" the voice of the dwarf broke the silence and brought you back to the present.

"Hush, Thel." Your mom squinted her eyes at her brother.

"Papyrus."

"YES, SIR EGGATH?"

"Get closer to the mirror, son," he did as he was told, and you noticed how Black and Blue tried to follow behind him, but Red pulled them back, making the oldest skeletons frown.

You returned your attention to the paladin, he was frowning, then nodding, and then you heard how he was grinding his sharp teeth.

"WHY DO I HAVE TO DO THAT?" He nodded again, his eyes widened, then he closed them, and then he got away from the mirror, standing up on his full height, and he pushed Thelmyl to the side and started murmuring to him.

"So," your dad claps his hands in front of him bringing your attention to the mirror "Blue Berry, I was told by an elf and a tiefling that a skeleton with that name told them they could live here."

"EXCUSE ME, MR. TRUTHHEART, COULD YOU REPEAT THAT?"

"Oloqen and Perdius, they have twins, two boys called Aehfaren and Nefareah."

"ARE THEY OKAY? I TOLD THEM THEY WOULD BE OKAY THERE."

Your mom smiled "They're fine, it's a shame they arrived in the middle of all of this, but we're doing our best to help them settle, we've been building their house and it should be done in a couple of days." She smiles brightly "Ren and Reah are so tiny! They could get lost so easily here, but we got Galvin, Ergkein, and Nakin to babysit them."

"UH, MRS. TRUTHHEART?" 

"What is it, Blue?" She smiles at him. 

"I WANT YOU TO BE AWARE THAT THEY ARE... THE H-WORD." Oh, that's right, Blue was in the hideout of healers.

"We know, don't worry," your mom gave you a look, "I've met some before, and I'm sure they're less problematic than this family."

"WOWZERS, THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE THAN I THOUGHT THAT ARE GOOD WITH IT."

Your dad chuckled a bit "No, you just had good luck at finding the right people," he paused, "and talking about finding people, who are the other two skeletons?"

"Dad, this one is Sans," you say getting an arm around his shoulders, "He was the first skeleton I met, the one I pulled from the river."

"nice to meet you, the name is sans, sans the skeleton, pixie has told us lots about you."

"That's to be expected, Sans, she loves us, right?" 

"Yes, Dad, I love both of you a lot."

"Did you hear that, Manthe? She said she loved us!" Your mom just shook her head.

"I know, Truthheart, I can hear her too," she smiles "We love you too, little Pixie."

"Who's the other one?" You were about to present him, but he was more than capable of doing so.

"I AM THE MALEFICENT BLACK, AND I HAVE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT ALL THE DANGERS THE DAMSEL HAS BEEN EXPOSED BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT TAUGHT HER TO BE CAUTIOUS ENOUGH."

"says the one that kidnapped her." Stretch talks.

"He wha-?!" Eggath yells and Manthe covers his mouth.

"Shhh, we have to be quiet, dear," the Goliath gave a muffled apology.

"May we know why did you do that, Black?"

"THAT IS BECAUSE SHE HAD A GROUP PERMIT TO TRAVEL TO OTHEIN AND THE MU- MY BROTHER IS HERE," he looked at both "THAT AND BECAUSE I LIKE HER, SO I WANT TO KEEP HER." You facepalm. 

"Black, I've told you, I know you like me, but friendship doesn't work like that." Your dad starts laughing and your mom has the face of someone who remembered something terrible.

"IF YOU LET ME, I AM WILLING TO FIGHT TO WIN THAT RIGHT."

"she doesn't belong to anyone, honey is as free as a bird."

Eggath stops a bit and breathes, "You're right, Stretch, Y/N has always been like that. You can't win that right Black, but I will still fight you. Be aware, that after listening to you, I won't hold back."

"I WOULD NOT HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY."

"Okay, Y/N, seeing that you're in The Unorthodox Forge, I want to ask you to travel to The Wintry Inferno. While I was contacting our allies, I didn't get any news of Alasthor, I want you to check on him and get in contact with me as soon as possible."

"By Merxis! I'm finally going to The Wintry Inferno!" His words made you incredibly happy, you always wished to visit that place, and after your best friend went back to his home, your longing for the island was stronger.

"Yes, little Pixie, but remember I want you to talk to Alasthor first."

"I'll talk to Uncle Alasthor first, don't worry, dad."

"Uh-huh, but seeing as he is Alasthor's little cousin, tell him I say hi and that I told him."

You waited for your dad to continue, but he was quiet, "Told him, what?"

He gave you the same playful smile you recognized from his pranks "Just tell him _My dad says hi and that he told you_ nothing else, okay?"

"made a good prank, eggath?" Asked Stretch curious.

"Yes! The kind you give them a heads up, but they still fall on it."

"that sounds cool, eggath, what did you do?" Now Sans joined, and you were afraid of what it meant. You wished you were never the target of a prank the three of them could come up with.

But the sound of a bell made your parents deflate from it.

"The guests are here, Truthheart. We have to go." Your mom frowned, squeezing your dad's shoulder, comforting him silently.

"I know," he put his hand on top of hers and caressed the back of it, "Y/N, take care. Find your allies, and return home, okay? We" his bottom lip trembled a bit "We will talk in a few weeks, okay? When you are at Alasthor's place." The bell sounded again.

"We love you, little pixie." Both of them gave you a sad smile, that you returned with one of your own.

"I love you both."

At the end of the magic call, you couldn't tell if the blurriness was caused by the magic mirror or by the tears falling from your eyes.

* * *

The way back to Thelmyl's house was silent, you just looked at the boots of the dwarf that walked in front of you and admired the soft prints he made in the snow. You had some answers, you had new questions, but most of all, you missed your parents already. The call was messy, short, and left you wishing you were back home with all your friends and their families. Having your best friend and every skeleton plus the fire elemental in your place sounded fun. And if you could get your parent's friends there too, things would be fantastic.

The dwarf kept telling all the others that you weren't in the mood to talk and that you were okay. You appreciated silently his unconventional way of caring.

You sighed for what felt like the thousandth time when you felt someone stop you by the back of the cloak. 

"uh, kitten, remember our deal?" You nodded, "'kay, so we're all lookin' kinda down, and this may be the best time ta ask ol' man thelmyl ta let us in da tavern."

"I don't think I'm up for it, Red."

"ya sure? i heard from boss his lady liked mead," Did he say mead? "but maybe i got it wrong."

"What kind of mead?"

"sack sweet mead, made here and another one brought from," he smirks "the obsidian dynasty."

"Uncle Thelmyl?" you heard the skeleton chuckle, "I was wondering if we could check the tavern."

"The tavern, girl? Why do you want to go there?"

"You know, get a drink, lift our spirits... relax." The dwarf looks at you and seems to think about it.

"That's an excellent idea, niece. But Red can't go, he's banned from it." Why is he even banned?

"But Uncle, please, I want us to enjoy together, you know... before making our plans to leave," You were so bad at convincing people, "Let's have some fun together before that, Uncle Thelmyl."

"Sigh, alright," he starts walking towards the right, "But any of the damage your skeletons make, will be out of your parents' pockets."

"Yes! I promise!" You smiled and turned around, walking backward and gave two thumbs up to Red who gave you finger guns back.

The door of the crystal building was opened by the old barbarian, revealing the glass floor that revealed the underground tavern, you were able to see everything from up there.

"This looks amazing." The inside of the tavern was a mix of glass, metal, and wood. Every dwarf held tankards as big as their heads and drank merrily. 

"why can't we hear anything?" the wizard asked, squinting his sockets at each of the attendants. 

"The crystal was made that way, to keep all noise in. That way we don't go provoking avalanches to the ones that are climbing the mountain."

"what's the name of the mountain, thelmyl?" You looked at Stretch and thought that it was a really good question, in the map your mother made back home, the mountain had no name.

"It's just that, The Mountain." Thelmyl walked towards the stairs that lead to the tavern.

"The mountain is called The Mountain?" Did you get it right?

"Exactly, now hurry up, the mead is waiting!" With the amount of enthusiasm he showed, you would've thought he was the one with the idea of coming to the tavern. You stepped down and finally got to listen to the loud voices of the dwarves.

"The Mastersmith is here!" One of them shouted, and all cheered, lifting their cups, tankards, and glasses.

"You haven't been around for almost ten days, ol' Thel, what happened?" Asked the red-haired bartender. 

"You know, Einbroch, family problems," Thelmyl got an arm around your shoulders and pointed at you "This is Manthe's daughter, everybody!" All the patrons started cheering louder.

"d'awww i knew y'all missed me," Red stepped inside, lifting an arm at Einbroch. Making all the dwarves cheered even more.

"Now we're talking! Let's celebrate!"

"uh uh, hold dat thought a sec," the other skeletons entered the room and the tavern got silent, Red approached Edge and got one hand on his other arm around you, "everyone! the kitten got mah brother papyrus here too, now we can drink!"

The whole tavern exploded in cheers and congratulations, each patron approaching to talk to all of you, asking questions on how you got there, about your parents, and about the skeletons, some even hugged you and your companions, but the joyful environment got even Black and Edge to comply and allow them to happen. 

"einbroch," Red sat at the bar and leaned his back on it, "mead for everybody! ol' thelmyl's payin' da first round!"

"What?!" Edge followed his brother and sat by his side, the bartender got a tankard filled to the brim between both, "I'm not paying for it!"

"Sorry, Thel, bar's rules say that you can't go back on your word for rounds and your kid's words are as good as yours."

"I'll get you for this later, kid!"

Red just started laughing, hitting his knee in the process, and he grabbed the tankard, giving a loud gulp and gave a satisfied sigh at the end of it, and he offered the tankard to his brother, who just stared at it surprised.

"MAIDEN, THAT! WE SAW THAT WITH THE DRAGON FIREWORKS!"

"That's true!" You got a hand over your mouth in surprise. That's why the situation gave you a feeling of Deja Vu. You went to the bar and sat next to Edge, giving him a big grin, "So, Edgey, did you notice something now?" He just gave you a knowing look.

"DON'T TELL HIM, OKAY?" His embarrassment was evident to you, and you gave him a soft pat in the back before turning around on your seat and making a small sign to the dwarf.

"Hit me with a tankard of some sweet sack mead from The Obsidian Dynasty, good sir," You lean back and make eye contact with Red "I got a deal with big bro here and I need a drink for that."

"now we're talkin'" 

Stretch sat at your right and Blue sat next to Red.

"I WANT TO DRINK THE SAME AS THE MAIDEN, MR. EINBROCH."

"same here, and all the honey you can spare," Blue gave his brother a look, "please."

"Huh, sure, I think I have a jar of it, that enough for you?" 

"dat's enough fer da carrot, einbroch, just keep da drinks comin', 'kay?"

"What about you, Papyrus? The same as your brother or what the lady's drinking?" The red-haired bartender asked.

"NONE, STOUT BEER AND MAKE IT QUICK." The dwarf nods and gets two tankards and starts filling them, sliding one to Blue, and the other to Stretch, then he grabbed two more, and this time filled them with the contents of two different barrels and he slides one tankard to you and the other to Edge.

The skeletal barbarian whistles and motions Sans and Black to get to the bar, "come on, we're celebratin' and ya two 're gonna drink, 'kay?" he turns to the bartender "ein, get 'im" he points at the wizard "whiskey, and get da fruit some wine." He gets up and starts walking to a table, "kitten, get yer sweet ass here, we're gettin' wasted today!"

You weren't sure how to feel about the way he phrased it, but you agreed with the sentiment. You got out of your seat and sat on the opposite side, "Bring it, big brother, or should I say, cousin? You've been adopted by my Uncle after all." The skeleton started coughing and you didn't know if he could choke in the first place.

"nuh-uh, i'm not the ol' dwarf's kid, 'kay?" Stretch and Blue sat on each side of you, and the paladin sat next to his sibling frowning. 

"honey, wanna try my mead? i got some extra sweetness on it." He shook the tankard a bit and you nodded.

"Sure, why not?" You grabbed it, with the bard's hand still on it, and took a sip of it, and just as you expected, it was a thick drink and unbearably sweet, and you grimaced a bit. "Sorry, Stretch, that's a bit way too sweet for me."

"but that's not possible, you're the sweetest thing i've ever seen." You giggled at the familiarity of the tallest skeleton's flirtiness.

"sucks ta be ya then, carrot, because that drink's da sweetest thin' ya'll ever taste."

"and she's the first to pay you attention longer than 5 minutes, red."

"yer right, da others lose focus after one," he licks his gold tooth, "i can always find out with ya, right kitten?"

You had no idea what the two were talking about, you listened to what they said, but were distracted at the sweet taste of home, "If we are talking about drinks, I bet I can outdrink you." You left the empty tankard on the table and lifted your hand "And I already have the advantage."

"GASP! IS THIS A DRINKING GAME?" the cleric asks with stars on his eyes.

"Yup, the one who drinks the most without passing out is the winner, Blue."

"WOWZERS, SOUNDS LIKE A TOUGH GAME," he leaves his empty tankard on the table next to yours and gives you the same lopsided smile that he had back at the Inn after that night you all drank, "AND I'M UP FOR THE CHALLENGE."

A crystal cup joined next to the tankards, "I AM COMPETING TOO, AND I WILL NOT LOSE."

Eventually, all the tankards, the cup, and the one glass joined on the table.

"kitten?"

"Yes, Red?"

"yer da coolest, right after boss, ya know?" It sounded like the most sincere compliment you received from him, making you smile, and you were about to tell him that, but the arrival of the new round interrupted you, and you let out different words then.

"Let the games begin!"

Thelmyl just looked at you from his spot on the bar and shook his head. Einbroch gave him a pat on the back and a comforting smile.

* * *

It was the 8th round, nothing new for you. You were in your element, you gave the fizzy drink another sip. You saw how Black passed out after his 4th cup and how Edge got stuck on the 6th one, the paladin was still staring at the bottom of his tankard. Stretch decided to give up on the 3rd one and now settled to eating the hardened honey with a spoon and smoking much to his brother's disapproval. 

Thelmyl left the tavern for a moment, saying something about bringing a sled to take you all back.

Sans drank his eighth glass in one gulp and passed out on the table.

"THERE GOES ANOTHER BRAVE MONSTER!"

"rip vanilla 'n fruit punch"

"Let's honor their memories with round nine!" You downed the rest of your drink and lifted your hand giving Einbroch the sign.

All was going incredible until a drunken young dwarf approached and slid his arm over your shoulders. "Why're you still playing with the bones when you could get some meat?"

And that's all needed to take Edge's attention away from the empty tankard, that he threw at the face of the dwarf that stumbled away, his nose bleeding now.

"TOUCH MILADY TWICE AND I-" he looked at you and rested his skull over his arms, "I L-WORD YOU, BECAUSE YOU H-WORD MY S-WORD."

"Edgey, you're drunk, go home."

"OKAY." He got up, and pulled Red off his seat, and walked to you, and leaned on your back the way Stretch did, his armor pushing on your back, "DONE."

The dwarf that the paladin attacked was behind the skeleton, holding a chair up high, and just as he was about to strike him, Red broke the tankard he was holding on his head.

"Fight!" You didn't know who was the first to shout, but at the mention of the word, the whole tavern turned into an arena. You saw how Red stole Stretch's cigarette and exhaled red smoke instead of the regular grey one.

"ein, tell da ol' man i didn't start it this time."

You tried to get up, but Edge was still on your back, and you needed to get the other two skeletons out.

"Get the skeletons!" Oh no, not on your watch. You stood up, and wiggled a bit, getting Edge on top of the table. You looked around you and saw the chair.

"Red!" You throw it at the skeleton that was already punching one of the other patrons, knocking him to the ground and grabbing the chair. 

"thanks, kitten."

"Give me a leg after you break it," you cracked your hands and got ready to fight. Blue grabbed another chair and was swinging it, stopping the tankards and other things the dwarves were throwing.

From behind the bar, you could hear the sound of Stretch's ukulele playing. Apparently, providing background music was his priority.

"Got ya!" A dwarf walked by your side and was going to attack Blue, but you punched him before he got out of your reach, and he fell. You were sure you didn't punch him that hard, so you were surprised at it.

"WOWZERS, THANKS, MAIDEN!"

"I got your back covered, Blue."

"kitten!" you looked over where Red was, just in time to see him throw the leg of the chair to you and for you to receive it.

"Thank you!"

You see Blue hit a dwarf that was next to you with the chair and gasp.

"STARS, DID I KILL HIM?!"

You looked at the one he hit and shook your head "He's okay, it's a tavern brawl, this is normal Blue. No one will get harmed." You feel a rough hand grasp your wrist.

"I got yer lady! Surrender or she'll pay!" 

You look at him and hit him with the leg of the chair, knocking him, "I'm already paying for all the damage, you bonker!"

"oh no, boss' rubbin' on ya, kitten."

"NO, PLEASE DON'T BE LIKE EDGE!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not good at insults, and the only ones I can think of are the ones he says," you hit an incoming tankard away "And you two have to admit he's good."

"MWEH, WE DON'T WANT HIM TO THINK THAT, RIGHT RED?"

"whatcha mean? boss da coolest and his insults 're too."

"Kid! What did you do this time?!" the voice of Thelmyl came from the stairs. The younger barbarian was now holding a table on his arms and ran, slamming against any dwarf that was on his way.

You pointed at the dwarf that Edge attacked, "He started it Uncle Thelmyl!"

"AND ANOTHER ONE SHOUTED FIGHT!"

A dwarf tried to walk past you, but you reacted faster and sent him to the floor with your improvised weapon, "Stop trying to sneak on us like cowards!"

The dwarf sighed and grabbed the three skeletons, "Hurry up and get out," he whistled "Einbroch, tell me how much is it later."

"Already calculating, Mastersmith."

And with Thelmyl's intervention, the fight ended for the three of you, the music stopped and the ones that got to enjoy it during the fight clapped at the retiring bard.

All in all, it looked like the group had fun, and you got to release some of the stress you didn't know you were holding.

Nothing like a good tavern brawl to end a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trivia for this chapter:
> 
> \- I've been building up the freaking moment for the promise to change from the parents to the MC/Reader/Pixie for way too long, and now that it's done... It's time to play more with the other skeletons!
> 
> \- Red has the feat Tavern Brawler. My favorite feat of all time because the parties my characters are a part of always end up in the tavern drinking and one of them has to be the one to start a brawl.
> 
> \- There were insight, intimidation, persuasion, and deception rolls.
> 
> \- The name of the bartender is also the name of my favorite city from Ragnarok Online. The theme of the city came up when I was thinking about a name for the dwarf, and you know how I am with songs and names :v
> 
> \- Stretch finally got to play like the freaking bard he is and it was due time for it, his performance roll during the tavern brawl was a 24.
> 
> MC: I don't like violence.  
> *5 tankards of mead later*  
> MC: FITE ME LIKE A GOLIATH!  
> Dwarf A: I'M A DWARF  
> MC: That another word for coward?


	22. Two Player Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to start your journey again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's just me listening to musicals again... this time a song from Be More Chill!
> 
> My sleeping schedule went out the window and now I'm here getting laryngitis. I sound like a kid trying to imitate Batman's voice lmao
> 
> I admit I procrastinated a lot after writing the first half of the chapter. In my little corner of the world, winter is approaching and my hands get colder than they are on normal days, so any reason is a good reason not to keep them out of the blankets. And typing on my phone is a pain. In the end, I spent lots of time in the kitchen cooking and baking to absorb all the warmth from the fire (no, I didn't burn my house, I knew what I was doing.)
> 
> Now, one of my older siblings, my brother, got me a hot water bottle, pocket heaters, and one of those wearable blankets. 
> 
> He's an awesome brother.
> 
> In other news... HOLY RAVIOLI!
> 
> 200 kudos and almost 4000 hits?
> 
> Are you serious??? Why??? 
> 
> Thank you, but I still can't believe it or think of a reason this got that much attention TvT
> 
> You're all awesome.

**Paint Stroke 20th, 325 A.11.**

"da fuck...?" whispered the skeletal barbarian. It was around the fourth time he cursed.

"Red? You know I can hear you, right?" You felt the skeleton jump a bit at your statement, "Why are you cursing so much?"

"uh, nothin', kitten" you felt his phalanges running through your hair once more.

After the whole incident under The Buoyant Ball Mountains, each time you finished taking a bath Edge would be there to help you dry your hair. The first time it was unexpected, he would say it was because you never dried it well, and knowing how trouble seemed to follow you, a human cold was the last thing he wanted to worry about.

You couldn't deny he did a better job than you at it.

But today it had been different. You were done with the bath, fully dressed but there was no tall skeleton in sight, instead, you found his older brother, Red. He followed you to your room and sat next to you, seeing how you dried your hair and got it tangled in the process.

Which brought you to this moment in your room, sitting in front of Red who offered to help brush your hair, cursing through the whole task. He was a little hesitant and was a bit rough with the first few strokes of the comb he gave to your tangled hair, but after a bit of guidance, he got the hang of it, and the feeling of his boney fingers running through your (h/c) hair became soothing.

Just as you were the most relaxed, the moment broke.

"MAIDEN, YOUR UNCLE IS-" the cleric stops at the doorframe of the room, and blinks before the usual blue orbs of his eyes dim until his sockets look void.

"Blue?" he didn't reply, just stood there frozen. You looked back at Red and shrugged, the tallest Sans just smirked and pulled you closer by the waist, you could feel his warm breath on your ear as he whispered.

"hey, i think we broke him, and he ain't the only thin' we gonna b-" you were pulled up from Red's hold.

"I'LL DELIVER YOU TO MR RUNEFORGED, MAIDEN! HOLD ON!" Blue was holding you high up on his arms.

"Wha-" And just as he was about to run, he tripped, Red's boot was right in front of him, and you were once more in the barbarian's hold, "Red, that was rude!"

"not so fast, baby blue," he smirked at the skeleton on the floor, "i'll take 'er there," and he made his way to the door, your body over his shoulder.

The skeleton on the floor looked up and with a smirk, "PAPY, NOW!" the door closed at the words.

"shit! fuck!" Red hit his face against the door, getting both of his arms to his skull. Once more, you were in the arms of another skeleton.

"honey," he wrapped his arms around you and hugged you to his chest, starting to walk through the hallway, "you should be more careful with the red gremlin."

"Hmmm? Why?" you tilted your head looking at the taller skeleton earning just a shake of his skull.

He set you on the floor, "let's go, your uncle called all of us," and he gave you a push inside the kitchen that was illuminated brighter than the other days.

"Great, you're here!" the dwarf grabbed your wrist and pulled you inside, and started leading you to his work table that was now covered with a black cloth.

The door flew open once more, both of the skeletons that were left behind trying to enter the room at the same time. They might have been quite light for you, but their structure made it impossible for them to fit through it. You had no idea what was going on, but you felt that the past few days, both have been quite competitive.

"Goddamn, if you two break the precious door of my forge, I'll turn your bones into latrines!" The skeletons looked at each other and, both disappear from your view, and appear stumbling behind you, Thelmyl huffed, "Now that you two stopped goofing around" he pulls the cloth over the table away dramatically, revealing a whole arsenal of different weapons.

"Sweet Merxis," you grab a dagger and can instantly tell it is a balanced one, the handle is covered in later and it's designed with interesting symbols. You set it back on the table and grab a warhammer next, it's quite heavy for your taste, but you still manage to turn it around, the shine of the blue's and greens of it remind you of a peacock, but no matter how pretty it is, that's not the weapon you prefer.

On the left side of the table, you see how Edge was already holding a red blade with a black handle, there's a smirk on his face while he studies the weapon carefully. You'll have to ask him to let you check it later. There were still weapons to check, and not because you didn't like fighting it meant you didn't appreciate the craftsmanship of a blacksmith.

But the moment you turned towards Black, you felt your heart skip a beat. 

"Hello there, handsome" the words escaped your lips, the flirty intonation of your voice made every skeleton in the room turn their heads towards you, expecting you to say something else, but you didn't, you just moved swiftly in between them, grabbing the monk's hands carefully, getting them away from his face that turned carmine at your contact, but you had no eyes for him, no, your focus was now on the silver crossbow you were now holding, decorated with red vines around the handle, shaping it to your right hand. You smiled at the weapon in your grasp, it felt different from the crossbow you used to have, the crafting was far superior to anything you achieved with your dad.

"Listen, girl, I have no idea what Eggath did for your crossbow to shoot three bolts at the same time, so-"

"Uncle Thelmyl, this crossbow is perfect just as it is," you gave a sweet sigh and looked at it "I love you."

"Oh, well, I guess I'll keep the other one." He sat on his tiny wooden stool balancing a similar-looking crossbow on his index finger.

You took it from the dwarf immediately, his eyes were wide at the speed on which you did that. You inspected both crossbows in your hands and started giggling. The second crossbow had blue vines around the handle. You turned them around, looked at the shadows they formed in the ground, and noticed that they looked like birds. At that moment, you gave a small squeal of happiness and hugged the old dwarf as best as you could without releasing the beauties on your hands.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" You nuzzled against his shoulder, earning a peal of heartful laughter from him.

"Alright, alright, enough, mini Eggath," he said pulling away "Your godfather isn't used to the hugging crap your people love, okay?" He grabbed your left arm, the one holding the crossbows with blue vines "It has four charges, okay? It'll shoot magic bolts, these are radiant, after using the four of them, the trigger will get stuck until nightfall, understood?"

"Yes, godfather! Three charges or it'll stop working for a while" You gave him a firm nod.

"Good, now" he grabs your other arm, "Same thing, but these are necrotic, and unlocks again at sunrise." He releases your arms "I suppose you're like Manthe too and give them names, right?"

The flush spreads through your whole face "N-no, heh, who would do-" the shine of the crossbows reflect on your eyes "-something like that?"

"Your parents," there was no way to deny that, but there was no need to agree out loud "Their names are Virtue and Vice." He walks stands up and grabs the warhammer, "Just as you requested, this is the Peafowl Warhammer, it'll allow you to use that color spray spell once a day. It'll help you blind your enemies briefly, lad."

"MR. RUNEFORGED! THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Blue with starry eyes of amusement amazed at the colorful hammer.

"bro? why did you choose a warhammer?" 

"WELL PAPY, I WAS GIVEN ONE AND TOLD IT WAS THE WEAPON A CLERIC SHOULD USE," he gave a sigh "I'M BETTER WITH SWORDS, BUT THE WARHAMMER IS STILL A GOOD CHOICE, AND IS USE-"

"Wait, you requested a warhammer when you are better with swords?" your uncle looks directly at the light blue bandana-wearing skeleton.

"UH, YES?" The answer only made the Mastersmith's eye twitch, and the next thing you know is that he walks out of the forge, grumbling and talking about the stupidity of the cleric. Before any of you had a chance to comment on it, the dwarf appears with a clothed package on his arms.

"Hear me out, lad," Thelmyl opens the package, and from inside you see an oval-shaped shield that had two handles of some sort at the top and bottom, it was completely made of silver "I'm not smithing here because I want to give you a gift, it's because you-" the old dwarf grabs both handles and twists them, breaking the shield in two, turning it into two swords, "-and everyone else has to live," he hands Blue both swords "Show respect to your foes and fight at your best."

As he's going to grab them, he hesitates, "BUT I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT ANYONE." You look at Blue, and can't help but smile a bit at his words, you felt the same way, after all. Yes, you liked your crossbows but didn't use them to fight most of the time. Yet, it was sad to see hear him say it out loud.

"Your enemies won't care about it," the dwarf connected the swords back to their shield form "Use them to defend them and yourself, lad."

"THE MASTERSMITH'S RIGHT, BLUE BUNGLER, WE NEED THE UPPER HAND IN BATTLE," Edge says as he keeps inspecting his sword.

Approaching slowly, you place a hand on the oldest skeleton's shoulder, "If we have the advantage, we can defeat them and just tie them up or something, as we did in the forest!" You smile at him, and he looks at you, a soft smile on his face.

"it's as the pixie says, we don't have to do more than that, blue." Adds Sans, and you can appreciate the support.

"IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THIS SWORD?" The paladin asks your uncle.

"Who do you take me for, baby skeleton? Of course, there is!" The dwarf just makes his way to where Edge is and points to the inscriptions in the handle, "The same thing I did with Eggath's greatsword, it lets you smite your enemies a bit harder the first time you do so with those that deserve it."

"EXCELLENT," he gave a smirk, sheathing the sword and putting it away on his belt. You could tell he liked it as much as you did the crossbows.

"Alright, now," he grabs a bracelet of sorts, "This was something new for me to make, but it's just as you asked," the dwarf points with it a big wooden target, and you see how from under one part of the bracelet, something comes out and shoots at the target, held by a chain.

"WOWZERS! BLACK, THAT'S JUST LIKE SCORPION'S KUNAI!"

"SCORPION HAD THE RIGHT IDEA WITH THIS WEAPON," He takes the bracelet and returns the blade and chain to it, "IT IS IDEAL TO BRING ENEMIES CLOSER."

"You're right, brat, but if the enemy's bigger than you, you'll be the one to get pulled," Thelmyl then walks back to Sans and Stretch, "None of you asked for a weapon, so," you see how he grabs the dagger you were looking at before by the blade "Which one of you wants this?"

Both skeletons started to sweat. You did notice days ago while they helped you cook they would get nervous around knives, so you decided to intervene, "Uncle Thelmyl, Sans and Stretch are the kinds to support us with spells, maybe giving them a dagger isn't a good idea?"

"Exactly, girl, that's why they need to keep one of these with them, in case someone gets too close."

"But a weapon is more dangerous in the wrong hands, Uncle Thelmyl, maybe you could give them something else?" your uncle turns to look at you and hums a bit.

"If you put it like that, I guess you're right, girl," he throws the dagger at the target and you notice the skeletons jump a bit, except Black and Edge, "Give me a hand, kid, I need the box."

"the box?" asks Red lifting a browbone.

"You know, that box, the wooden one." You start turning around and see many boxes around, some metal, other wooden ones.

"ya know there're boxes everywhere, here, right?" Both barbarians look at each other, and frown at the same time.

"Just help me look for it, kid."

"ya look for it, ol' dwarf."

"Are you trying to pick a fight, sans?"

"Is that the box?!" you exclaim pointing a box covered in dust under the place where Thelmyl keeps his tools, you walk towards it and try to carry it to him, but it's way too heavy for you. You're not weak, you consider yourself for human and some Goliath standards, you notice how Black crouches next to you and tries to help you lift it with a sigh, but as he goes to lift it, it is way too heavy for him too.

"LET ME HELP YOU TWO WITH THAT," the cleric bends over and tries to lift it too to no avail. The heavy steps of Thelmyl are heard, and the three of you make way for him to grab the box.

"You were right, girl, it's the box," he tries to pick it up fast, and a loud crack follows his movement. In his hand, you could find the top of the box, the hinges and the lock still attached to the wood of the other part of the box that was still on the floor. Thelmyl lowered the top of the box and flipped over, there was an old note inside, and you instantly recognize the writing, so you decide to read it out loud.

_"Here's a little prank for you to remember me, Thel._

_\- Your sister's husband and best friend, Eggath."_

The soft laughter of both the wizard and the bard were heard behind you, and you could barely hold your own.

"That motherfucking bastard! I told him not to mess with my kitchen!" He looks at you and turns back to the box clearing his throat, "Eggath better pay for this too."

"nyeheh heh, honey, your dad's the best" You look at Stretch with a smile.

"You better tell him that when you get the chance," the rustle from the box makes you turn your attention back to it, the two bandana-wearing skeletons were crouching to check the contents of the box. You look sadly at the letters falling from the box, in many of them you see the name of Thelmyl's sweetheart, Phrite, you don't mention it because you knew that it was a sensitive topic for him.

Judging by the look of both skeletons, it seemed like none of them could read them.

You would need to ask the skeletons if they knew any writings or languages. So far, you only knew Sans knew Elvish, but that was all.

"Here they are!" You see as he pulls out two tiny boxes and kisses them. He walks to the two skeletons who look at him in curiosity.

"what's that, thelmyl?" asks Sans and your Uncle opens both boxes.

"This, child, are whistles." He says as he shows a bronze and a copper whistle, they had an orange and a yellow gemstone respectively, he grabs the second one and whistles it, and a ghostly hound appears in front of him. 

Of course, you instantly coo at the animal and ask "Who's a good puppy?" You approach your hand to the dog and can feel something under your touch. It was the same feeling of when you try to get two magnets of the same charge together. It felt weird, but you were distracted at the way the tail of the dog moved. 

At the sound of the whistle, you stare in shock as the ghostly hound disappears in soft sparkles. And you turn to your uncle who just shrugs at you.

"This is for a dog, and the other for a falcon, you may not fight, but they will for you, they just poof after receiving an attack or two and come back the next day."

"don't they... get hurt or something, thelmyl?" asks Sans as he eyes the whistle.

The dwarf laughs out loud "No, dumbass! They are ghosts, you can't touch them!"

"But then how could I pet the dog, Uncle?"

"Oh, magic," He shrugs it off as it was common. And you do just like him, giving a nod in understanding.

"They disappear before they can get hurt, child, that's why I said they poofed after one or two attacks. If it's magical, they'll poof before it reaches them."

"oh, okay," Sans grabs the hound whistle and looks at it. For a moment, you almost thought he was looking at something else, but as he puts the whistle in his pocket you just assume it was just your imagination.

"nice, i wanted the bird," says the bard as he picks the whistle, "dogs aren't my style."

"i guessed that," shrugs the wizard "an annoying dog stole paps' special attack too many times."

"OH! ONE STOLE MY SPECIAL ATTACK, BUT IT WAS FINE, IT KEPT ME FROM FIGHTING THE HUMAN!" You lifted your eyebrow wondering about "the human" some mentioned at times. "NOW, PAPY, HAS ANOTHER REASON NOT TO LIKE THEM, YOU SEE, WHEN HE WAS A BABYBONE-" You see Stretch get one arm around Blue's skull covering his mouth and puts the other over it resting his chin on his palm.

"he's just overexcited, don't pay attention to him," Blue mumbles under Stretch's arm and frowns looking up at him and taps his boot on the ground exasperatedly. You giggled, you always loved to see how the skeletons will interact with their siblings.

"Well, it's time, girl," Thelmyl speaks up, "Today, all of you will travel to The Wintry Inferno, alright? We just need to go down the mountain, you better don't leave anything behind."

"no gift for me, ol' thel?" Asks Red looking at the other barbarian with a smile.

"Just hurry up, I'll be out waiting," the dwarf stomps out of the house and all of you start walking to your rooms, to grab your things.

It was time to leave The Unorthodox Forge.

* * *

You come out carrying your backpack. It felt heavier, even when you were carrying fewer things than before. Since you were on the run as a wanted criminal, hoping to make a name as an apothecary would have to wait. But, meanwhile, you could collect some of the exclusive ingredients of the continent, like the Cœur du feu, which you happily carried as a powder in a bottle.

Still, you carried your herbalism kit to make some things that could be useful for your travels.

Now, the weight issue was from keeping the half-plate armor inside the backpack.

You walked out of the house, smiling back as you took one last look before closing the door behind you. All the skeletons were already outside, each carrying their backpacks, you did notice that some skeletons were carrying more weight than others. Red, Edge, and Black were carrying the tents. You knew that in a snowy place like Kraveith's, they wouldn't help much with the permanent snow, and with winter starting in ten days, they sounded even more useless. But you knew they would be useful in the places where there wasn't snow. 

The dwarf looked at all of you as if he was counting everyone was there. It reminded you of the way the teachers you had as a child would count the students before any trip. They never had to count you, after all, you never got permission to go, you just had to look as your classmates would leave on the bus.

You smiled, glad that you were part of a journey like this and with great companions.

Thelmyl gave you a nod and walked away, knowing how he was, all of you moved immediately and started walking. 

You returned the greetings of the dwarves you encountered, some were even the ones you fought on the bar, they would tell you to come back soon for another brawl, you smiled and just replied that as long as there was mead, you would come back to visit, earning waves of booming laughter from the ones around.

Yeah, you were sure you would visit again.

The walk continued until the town was no longer visible. It was new territory for you. As you looked around and noticed the frozen trees. The sight of the wintery landscape was something you wanted to keep in mind.

"heh, this sure brings back some memories," you see Sans smiling as he looks at something in front of him. Following his gaze, you can see five sleds lined up. You gulp loudly, hoping it's not what you are thinking.

"We'll slide down the mountain, it'll be faster that way," Thelmyl squares his shoulders before striding to one, "Leave your things here, I'll take them down." The skeletons walk calmly and leave their backpacks on Thelmyl's sled, making you follow their actions even when you didn't want to take the backpack off. With ropes, your uncle secures all the backpacks and just waves at you as he sleds down the mountain.

You turned towards the skeletons and see that the energetic ones and Red, are already sitting on one each. 

The bard walks to his brother and sits down, lighting up a cigarette, sighing as if he was preparing mentally for something. Sans just keeps smiling as he walks to Red, and sits leaning his back against the barbarian's one.

"hey, fuck off, vanilla!" says as he moves to take Sans off his back, but it looked as if their backs were stuck together.

"RED, FOR THE LAST TIME, LANGUAGE!" the cleric scream echoes in the distance, and all eyes set on him, "OH, RIGHT... INSIDE VOICE."

"YOUR SCREECHES ARE GOING TO GET US KILLED BEFORE WE REACH THE FOOT OF THE MOUNTAIN," Black says getting off the sled, and makes his way in front of you and takes your hand, sitting you on the sled, "WE NEED TO LEAVE FAST IF WE DO NOT WANT HIS SCREAMS TO CAUSE AN AVALANCHE." You're about to tell him you've never been on a sled before and prefer to take it slow, but you don't get the chance to.

The hood of your cloak is pulled off your head as the skeleton slide down. In a panic, you grab Black's cloak and feel him lean forward as he holds the ropes.

"MWAHAHAH, I WILL SHOW THEM WHO GETS TO THE GOAL FIRST," you get a grip on his shoulder, as you try to take a peek to his face.

"You're racing against each other?" the effort it takes you not to shout is extraordinary.

He laughs evilly as he confirms your question, and you worry a bit about your safety, wishing you were in one of the other sleds.

"MWEHEHEH!" Your wish to be in another sled finishes as you find the source of the happy laughter. Blue is standing up on his sled, controlling it as if it was a snowboard, Stretch is just grabbing on the sides of it and looks at you with his sockets open wide, you're sure at that moment your expressions mirror each other. And you can't tell if it is the snow or the cold, but you can swear the skeleton looks at least 3 shades paler.

The oldest skeleton calls your nickname and winks out loud as he speeds up and becomes a blue blur in front of you.

The monk clicks his tongue but keeps his attention in the mountain. 

The feeling of something crashing against your sled on the opposite side made you yelp, and you found Red who just gives you a shrug and a smile that says he did that on purpose.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY, PEASANT," the carmine cloaked skeleton growls.

"nah, 'm good here," Red releases the ropes of his sled and pulls one out of nowhere ties both sleds together, then hands Black the ropes used to steer his sled and leans against Sans' back, as he closes his eyes "thanks fer takin' the wheel," and he starts snoring.

Black looks at the new rope on his hand in slight confusion, and you turn his skull to the front just in time for him to get his left boot out and pull on the ropes, getting away from the tree that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"UNTIE THE DAMN SLEDS NOW," the bandana owner says as he keeps controlling both sleds. In your opinion, he was doing a fantastic job given the current situation, even if he seemed to lose the grip on the ropes from time to time, "DO AS I SAY, FILTH," the snores from the other sled get louder, "I KNOW YOU ARE NOT SLEEPING!"

You feel as something pokes your back, and you jump startled and lose your hold on Black's cloak. A look behind to see what's going on reveals to you that, Edge is the one poking your back, and he just points to his back, inviting you to leave the dangerous ride you are in. You bite your lip, thinking it would be rude to leave Black on his own. 

The sled gets through a snow puff and some of the icy crystals get to your face, and a growl comes out of the skeleton in front as he stands up and grabs the barbarian from his clothes, causing the wizard to fall backward over the sled. In your worry, the whole situation got out of everyone's hands. You could try to calm them down, but if you learned something about the two over the few weeks you knew each other, it was that both didn't like to do what they were told.

"THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING," with a strength he seems to pull out of nowhere, Black lifts his much taller counterpart and Red glares down at him with a cheeky smirk.

"whatcha gonna do, fruit punch? dust me?" the barbarian closes his hand around the wrist of the monk, "nah, ya won't, 'cause ya care 'bout what she'll think."

"THAT'S ENOUGH, SANS," the raspy voice of Edge comes from the opposite side, causing Black to lose his grip on Red, who gets pulled just in time by the paladin, "WE'LL SETTLE THIS LATER, TREACHEROUS TYRANT."

"heheh, sucks to be ya, fruit punch."

"THAT INCLUDES YOU, IDIOTIC MONSTER," the brothers sit back on the sled, and it starts to speed up forward.

"c-come on, boss, i was just throwin' ya a bone," the last thing you hear, is Edge's irritated growl.

The rest of the way down just involved you and Sans trying to untie the sleds as Black took the control of both of them. The two of you didn't succeed and ended making the knot tighter.

The sled came to a stop, Thelmyl was waiting there, and lifted one of his bushy brows at you. "Will there be a day I don't have to wait for you, girl?" he said and you just shrugged not bothering to reply as you looked at your feet after standing up. Next time you went sledding, you would go with one of the relaxed skeletons, then you would be able to tell if you liked it. 

The distant sound of waves interrupted you from your thoughts and as you lift your gaze from your feet, your eyes meet the sea. A ship with what looks like a house on top is floating at the end of a dock. It has deep red sails, and the wood of it is dark. At the prow, a figurehead of a female creature. You are certain you've seen a similar-looking creature, but can't be sure of it.

"There she is... The Barracuda," the mastersmith starts walking fast, the crunch of snow is still there under his boots, only that this time, it is mixed with the one of sand. As always, the group follows after him. No words were said by them, but you could notice some distance between the skeletons, a slight tension was in the air, probably caused by the little race that happened moments ago. Thelmyl stops at the end of the dock, where a rope ladder descends from the ship's side, "I'll be brief, the faster you return home, the faster your parents will get you out of trouble, girl," the dwarf ruffles your hair and says "Take care, okay? And wear that armor for Kraveith's sake, I didn't forge it for it to be kept on a backpack!" He then walks to Red, and out of his clothes pulls out two pauldrons. The left pauldron was shaped differently from the ones you knew, it looked like some sort of animal skull you couldn't identify.

As soon as Red saw it he smirked, "ol' thel, ya fuckin' show off," he grabs the normal looking one first, and at the contact of bones against the metal, a bright light shone. Red's left pinprick changed color, half of it was yellow and it was surrounded by a red smokey flare, and you saw the familiar Holy Symbol of Xylsis. The skeletal barbarian stared at the now marked pauldron, a bit startled at the sudden display of light, but he recovered from his surprise and turned to his brother, handing both pauldrons to him. Edge was fascinated by them, and his smirk turned sinister.

"And here, kid" the dwarf pulls out of his pocket a bottle that has a roll of paper inside and hands it to the skeletal barbarian that grabs it, pulling the paper out of the bottle "Take care of her, or your bones will be turned into a fancy pansy tea set, understood?"

Red looks at the paper, and seems to make a double-take at it, "ya serious?" the old barbarian lifts his brow at the question, "fuckin' stars, ya're." The skeleton gives a nervous smile, and then frowns, "yer, loss ol' dwarf, 'cause i ain't returnin' 'er to ya," he has once more that cheeky smirk on his face.

"As if it would last that long with you as the captain," both barbarians look at each other and laugh together, "I'll go back now, it's a long way up, so..." you can see he's not good at this kind of thing, "Stay alive and fight with all you have." You hug the dwarf and he hugs back for a bit before patting your arm, "That's enough, mini Eggath." 

"Thank you for everything, Uncle," you smile at him "We'll see each other soon, okay?" Thelmyl was rough around the edges and not the first person you would get along with. He was a grumpy old man, a bit greedy, but nice. He just nods and starts walking away.

"THANKS, MR. RUNEFORGED! WE'LL TAKE CARE OF YOUR SHIP AND THE THINGS YOU GAVE US!" The cleric shouts and the others start waving at your host of the past weeks.

"it ain't his ship no more, baby blue," Red starts climbing the ladder, "the barracuda belongs to capt'n red now."

"AS IF YOU COULD BE CAPTAIN OF SOMETHING, FILTH," says Black as he starts climbing after Red.

"kitten already told me none of ya know how to sail," Red points at himself, "i'm da only one who does, so like it or not, i'm in charge." All of you are over the ship, seeing how Red and Black stand in front of each other.

"I AM NOT GOING TO BE UNDER YOUR ORDERS," you see and hear how he grits his sharp teeth a bit.

"does it look like i care?"

"NONE OF YOU ARE PROPER CAPTAIN MATERIAL, I'M THE ONE IN CHARGE HERE," intervenes Edge.

"WAIT, I THOUGHT THE MAIDEN WAS THE LEADER." you turn to Blue who just pulled you into the discussion.

"Uh, I'm the one that guides you only at land, I have no idea what to do with a ship, so... I'm not stepping as a captain here."

"BUT, MAIDEN!" He looks at you in a silent plea, and you just shake your head. You could agree, but you knew you weren't the wisest choice, "FINE, THEN I'LL STEP FOR THE CAPTAIN POSITION."

The three energetic skeletons start discussing who would be better for Captain of The Barracuda. Red started giving the rest of the group instructions to sail, and soon the ship was moving, making the louder skeletons pause in their fight.

"I DIDN'T ORDER US TO MOVE YET!" the paladin crossed his arms.

"NEITHER DID I!" Black was frowning with both arms on his hip.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?" And Blue demanded an explanation tapping his boot on the deck.

"come on, bro, the red gremlin knows what he's doing," the bard says as he turns a cigarette.

"i've got to agree with, stretch, he's the one that owns the ship," at Sans words, Red steps in.

"ya heard vanilla and the carrot, that makes two votes fer me," he walks to you and gets his arm over his shoulder "and i'm sure i can count on ya, right kitten?"

"You're the only one with experience here, I don't think Uncle Thelmyl would've trusted you with his ship if you didn't," you give him a smile "I'm trusting you on this, Red."

He studies your face for a moment and blinks hard, turning to the other skeletons with a cheeky grin, "there ya go! four 'gainst three."

"BROTHER, YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Edge glares at Red and he starts to sweat.

"s-sorry, boss," the barbarian then takes a step away from you frowning, "wait, a fuckin' sec," he looks at his brother "i ain't have to take yer shit now, pyrus-" 

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT YOU PATHETIC-"

"-we're not at our world, so listen clear, i'm gonna be da damn capt'n like it or not! 'cause none of ya know shit and last time y'all ended at the bottom of the sea, 'kay?!" 

"-BROTHER, YOU CAN'T TAKE THIS LIGHTLY LIKE THE REST OF THE CRAP YOU DO."

"whatcha gonna do 'bout it? fight me?" at his words, Edge gets a bit surprised.

"SINCE YOU ARE OFFERING, FILTH, I WILL TAKE ON THAT FIGHT," the monk breathes in and gets in position.

"Woah, guys, calm down-"

"MOVE AND I'LL FIGHT YOU, TINY TYRANT," Edge takes a step towards Black, hand on his sword.

"EDGE, YOU CAN'T GO MENACING OUR COMPANIONS," says Blue as he gets in between them, pushing both a bit. Red doesn't take it lightly and pushes Blue.

"careful with my bro, blueberry!" Stretch's hand gets on the barbarian's shoulder.

"-stop pushing each other, we don't want any fights here-"

"watch it, gremlin," the bard says.

And it's at that moment where everyone but you gets to their knees, Sans' left eye flashes and you know he's the cause of it.

"sorry, i didn't mean to _ground_ you but let's stop here, 'kay?"

That's when you listen to a growl from Red, "release me, vanilla, i'm warnin' ya."

"i won't until you all calm down."

"and i said, to f u c k i n' r e l e a s e m e ! ! !" and Sans grip on the other skeletons end as soon as Red screams furiously.

All the skeletons move, Edge stepping by his brother's side and the rest on the other. Black's attempt to attack the raging barbarian was all needed for all hell to break loose, and for the skeletons to reach their weapons. The barbarian pulling some sort of spikey metal club.

This was the exact situation you wanted to avoid, a fight like this. You didn't want to fight any of them, so there was no chance for you to side with any of them.

They didn't listen to you before, so you would need to think of a way to stop this fight from going further.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trivia for this chapter:
> 
> \- The skeletons from timelines like Underfell and Swapfell find softness to be appealing but foreign. That's the reason Edge helps to dry the MC's hair. Red got to experience it in this chapter and kept cursing because he couldn't believe how soft her hair was.
> 
> \- The chapter is called Two-Player Game not just because of the song, it's also because there are two teams in which the brothers help each other to get the MC.
> 
> \- Black loves Mortal Kombat, sadly, he only got to play the first three and didn't get to find out about the other games and media of it.
> 
> \- Stretch's dislike of dogs will never be revealed during the story, but maybe it will as extra content on the tumblr. Just maybe.
> 
> \- The name of Edge's sword is Last Promise. Oath of Vengeance Paladin's promise to end the lives of their sworn enemies. When I was drawing the sword for [this](https://aklirimtale-au.tumblr.com/post/619135120657514496/red-in-chapter-19-20-and-21-out-of-context) for a moment I wanted to make it look like one of the Crucibles from Doom but I discarded the idea.
> 
> \- Black's weapon doesn't have a name.
> 
> \- The Barracuda is inspired in Raiden's ship from the Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge.
> 
> \- The pauldron was requested by Red to look like a Gaster Blaster, Xylsis' Holy Symbol goes now on his right pauldron.
> 
> \- Red's weapon is designed like a Tetsubo aka a two-handed spiked warclub. You know, the kind the Japanese Oni have. It has a name that's not gonna be released to the public now.


	23. In Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You see how your friends have taken a fighting stance.
> 
> It is time for you to try and stop them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing I like more as a DM than saying...
> 
> ROLL INITIATIVE!
> 
> (We are jumping right into action!)
> 
> The song that gave me the kick was "In Dreams" by Roy Orbison. I don't know why lol.

Right after attacking, and after everyone got their weapons out, Black took some distance from the paladin and the raging barbarian. The tension rose up even more than before.

There was a weird pull in your chest when the fight started. It was uncomfortable, and a bit concerning, you felt as if something wanted to come out. You were sure it wasn't just the discomfort of seeing your friends ready to fight each other, but even if you didn't know what the feeling was exactly, it felt familiar, as if you went through something similar before. Nevertheless, you couldn't focus on it. Unexpected events were part of a battle, and you have been prepared not to lower your guard at them.

You knew your only choice to end the current battle was to focus on the movements of the skeletons to find an opening and try something.

You could find out what that uncomfortable feeling was later.

Blue moves in front of his brother, locket, and left socket shining in the same cyan light, he looks directly at Red and breathes in before shouting "HALT!", trying to command the barbarian to stop.

The skeleton barbarian grimaces a bit but shakes off whatever effect the cleric's word had, and the glow of his pupil intensified, sparks of yellow shining in between the red smokey glow.

You took the next move immediately, deciding to try to calm down Black, maybe if you did that, you could end the fight early. It was calming him or calming both Red and Edge.

You move closer to the monk, "Black, you don't have to fight with them, I know you are mad because of what happened earlier, but this isn't the way to settle things! Please, let's just talk about this!" 

For a moment, his gaze turns to you, and you are sure he's considering your words, but when he returns his gaze back to the toughest brothers, his scarred socket glows in a that fainted mix of purple and carmine, "I CAN NOT BACK DOWN, DAMSEL."

His words filled you with a bit of sadness and frustration. Talking things out was more effective than fighting, and you were going to make sure everyone sat down after this to discuss things like the grownups you were. But first, you needed to end the fight, so you started preparing for your second attempt to do so grabbing your trusty wire.

Black took a breath, analyzing the situation as fast as he could, and decided to keep attacking the same target in hopes to beat the smirk off Red's face. He wasn't going to let such a _barbaric_ version of himself to give him orders. If the stunt he pulled up before during their descent down the mountain was that he was reckless and unfit to be a leader, even if it was a temporal one.

The monk approached the tallest Sans and immediately made 4 swift punches that made his foe smile further. Black wouldn't admit he underestimated the barbarian.

Seeing his brother's attacker, Edge just grips his sword and slashes down right where Black is, but he leans back avoiding the sword completely. But he didn't expect the paladin to get worked up at this. Sword, right socket and pauldron shining bright, and you know what is coming next, you are about to shout for him to stop, but the taller skeleton already turned his sword and slashed right up, and you are sure he's going to hit Black directly. 

"not today, hot topic," right after Stretch's words, the brightness of Edge eye and his belongings vanished, orange sparks and what looked like notes popped for a moment, and the sword didn't make contact with Black.

Edge growls irritated, "I WAS GOING TO END ALL THIS ASHTRAY! STOP INTERFERING!"  
  


"i'm sure your concept of ending things is different than mine, so... nope." The bard grips the whistle that Thelmyl gave him and blew it, making appear the ghost of the fluffiest looking falcon you've ever seen. Still, the bird gets on Stretch's shoulder and spreads its wings, emitting a majestic...

Laughter.

For a second, everyone is confused and looks at the bird that keeps cackling on the bard's shoulder.

Sans and Red are the firsts to lose it and start howling with waves of laughter of their own, joining the falcon's one.

Sans has his hands on his knees, and while he tries to recover his breath, he grabs his whistle and blows it too.

Now, all of you met the ghost hound before, so you weren't expecting anything different, but the moment the ghostly dog appeared all of you were surprised.

Right in front of Sans, a dog stood up proud, alert to all movements, sniffing a bit trying to take in the smell of any threats nearby. 

If the hound was the one you saw before, it would've been kind of intimidating.

But the fact that Sans' ghostly hound was a Daschund ruined it.

You remembered that Sans told you he used to sell hot dogs before, so you couldn't help but snort at the sight.

Thankfully, the display of the whistles and the laughter seemed to calm down everyone, you didn't see any sockets glowing, and weapons were brought down. And when Red moved to pat the ghostly dog, no one tried to attack him.

For now, the situation was defused, and even if you were chuckling, deep inside you knew you had to address this situation later in the day.

When the laughter starts to die down, you see how everyone looks down to their weapons, clearly thinking about what just happened. 

You sigh and give a loud clap earning everyone's attention, you stand up straight, and speak in that same gentle but firm tone your parents tend to use, "Alright, now that that's over," you squint your eyes a bit "Or at least I hope so," you move to the middle of all the skeletons, "I think... we all need a bit of time to reflect on our actions," you turn to Red and give him a small reassuring smile, "Can I count on you to take control of the ship?"

"uh, sure thin', sweetheart," he looks a bit uncomfortable, but you approach him and put a hand on his shoulder.

You look around and start talking, "I expect you all to help Red on handling The Barracuda. None of us know how to control a ship, and we don't have time to question the skill of someone else when we can't address our own lack of skill," you look at Edge, "I don't know what your reasoning is based on to refuse your brother as the Captain of this ship, so I'm just basing things on what I've seen. Yes, your brother can be lazy, tends to provoke people and has a history of destroying things, but from what I've seen, he has been all that-"

The barbarian huffs a breath and mutters "sheesh, thanks."

"-and so much more. He easily could have saved only you when we were at the shore, but he helped all of us. And not only that! He also took care of us while we recovered, paid for the damage some of you caused and he was the one to stay many nights up with Uncle Thelmyl just to finish most of our current equipment," You look back at Red, "He can complain but he gets things done and is willing to give us a hand." You give a gentle smile to the group as you take your hand off Red's shoulder, "Some of you address me as the leader of this Brotherhood, and honestly, I don't think like I'm the best leader there can be because I lack many skills, but with your cooperation and advice, I feel reassured that you will have my back if I ever need it, and hopefully guide some of us to our families and back to safety. That said, I'm sure that if we all help Red, he can turn out to be a great captain for The Barracuda."

"IF THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK, MAIDEN, THEN I, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE, WILL DO MY BEST TO HELP," the cleric said enthusiastically.

Stretch is playing with the wings of his falcon, inspecting it.

"i'll help whenever i'm not taking a break, pixie," Sans says as he sits on the floor and pats the spot next to him calling the dog to his side.

Edge steps in front of his brother and frowns, making Red gulp "I GUESS THAT I'LL HAVE TO GIVE YOU A FEW TIPS ABOUT BEING A CAPTAIN, SANS."

"i think i've got an idea aready, with ya bossin' 'round all day," you clear your throat making Red roll his eye lights, "but i guess ya can tell me some."

The paladin smiled a bit softer, "THEN LET'S START IMMEDIATELY! WE NEED TO MAKE A LIST OF DIFFERENT TASKS AND THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE." 

"I'll start cooking lunch," You look at Black, "Would you like to help?" he just gives you a silent nod, "Alright...?" you expected him to say something else, maybe protest a bit against what you said, but he seemed to be thinking hard about something, "Guys! Let's put our things away, assign rooms, and all that."

Red said he would go later after he checked that the ship was on the right course to The Wintry Inferno, and Edge decided to stay with him. You give them a nod and offer to take their things to their room, but both refused, saying that it would be better to 

* * *

**Red's PoV**

The others went back inside, and soon Pyrus and I were left alone. I could tell he wanted to talk about something just with the way he moved while I walked towards the ship's wheel.

It was written all over the way he squints his sockets scrutinizing me as if he could CHECK my SOUL just staring, he had his arms crossed and he was drumming the tip of his phalanges on his opposite arm.

II wasn't going to talk just because he was looking at me. I had other things to do, like steer the ship and keep it on the right course. If the wind kept going on our favor, then we would easily be at Akshoom's in about two weeks. Maybe three.

Of course, Boss wasn't going to wait.

The world turned dark, the outlines of everything turning white.

*** Your brother is expecting an explanation.**  
  
  
-> ACT

-> Papyrus

-> Distract

"seriously, pyrus?! if i talk when ya drive, i'm _irresponsible_ and an _idiot_ but ya pullin' me in a fuckin' encounter is the dumbest shit."

* Papyrus looks unimpressed.

  
  
"YOU WON'T DISTRACT ME THIS TIME, SANS."

* Papyrus prepares a Paladin Feature!

-> ACT

-> Papyrus

-> Shrug it off

"sure thin', boss."

* Papyrus Lays Hands on you!

* Your HP is maxed out.

"I'M BEING SERIOUS, BROTHER."

-> ACT

-> Papyrus

-> Question

"wait a sec, since when can ya heal, pyrus?

* Papyrus is sparing you.

-> MERCY

-> Spare

The world returned to its normal colors, and I could see how Papyrus looked a bit more relaxed.

"ya gonna reply or not?" He lifts a bonebrow and returns to his usual frown.

"I HAD THE SKILL SINCE I TOOK MY OATH OF VENGEANCE AND BECAME A PALADIN."

"huh, that's cool, pyrus" Healing was something you most monsters couldn't do anymore. Our way of living Underground took most kindness away.

For a moment, he looked proud at my words, I could even see a hint of his, uh, not scary smile. But just like always, he went right back to frowning, "WE NEED TO DISCUSS MANY THINGS," it's always business first with him, "YOUR HP WENT UP SINCE I LAST CHECKED ON YOU."

"what?" Did it really go up? My HoPe?

"I MEAN THAT YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE TRASH ANYMORE," Papyrus got his hand over his face in a tired gesture, "I... DON'T WANT US TO HIDE THINGS AGAIN."

"i don't think i know whatcha mean."

He looks at me irritated and speaks a bit louder, "I MEAN THAT I WANT YOU TO TALK TO ME ABOUT THINGS. LAST TIME YOU DIDN'T, YOU LOOKED LIKE SHIT, DROPPED WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION AND WE ENDED HERE IN AKLIRIM!" Realizing he started shouting, he looked over towards the house, but then returned his gaze to me.

I hated to admit it, but he had a point. We never talked about things immediately and we ended up just shouting at each other.

I look away from him and just keep my focus on the ocean. We didn't get to see the ocean back when we were on the surface in our dimension. We've been here longer than that place and I can tell that we were influenced by the people around us. Papyrus is as serious as he has always been, but now he's less aggressive with his authority.

"fine, whatcha wanna know first?" And I may have learned a thing or two from the ol' dwarf. His bluntness, for example, Thelmyl would say immediately what he thought no matter what, and he expected you to do the same. Heh, the times I tried to deceive him he immediately called out on me.

"HOW DID YOU END UP LIVING WITH THELMYL? WHY DID YOU TURN INTO A BARBARIAN? HOW DID YOU END UP SERVING XYLSIS? DID YOU KNOW I WAS AT-"

"woah, woah, slow the fuck down, pyrus," I look at him "i ain't leavin'" He shuts his mouth and looks to the side, "i woke up inside the mountain, i had no idea what was happenin', couldn't use magic and next thing i know is that a dwarf throws a pickaxe is thrown my way, and when i talk, i'm accused of bein' a lich," it was an intense day, "then ol' thel shows up, and stops the younger dwarf, and asks what's mah business there, his muscles tense as if he was gettin' ready to crush me" I frown, "but he didn't, i asked if they've seen ya, and he only replies that it's his first time seein' a creature like me."

"DID YOU TRY TO FIGHT?"

"i didn't have magic, what idiot would try to fight without it?" I glanced at Papyrus just for him to turn his head away. 

I should've expected that from him.

"anyway, ol' thel asked why was i lookin' fer another skeleton, and ya know, i replied, like a liar, and the dwarf teleports in front of me and tells me not tah lie or he'll turn mah bones into a flower pot," I laughed at the memory, "and ya know i don't get alon' with shitty plants, so the menace turns out to be the funniest shit i heard in the past months, thel laughs, offers me a drink, we start a tavern brawl, everyone fights, kick and punch each other, i receive a couple of hits, but none of them are lethal. it was just for fun."

Even now it's the weirdest thing of my life, fighting with no intention to kill or any hard feelings? Anyone back at the Underground would've laughed and said it was impossible. The last thing I knew from the monsters at Ebott, is that they were still dusting each other.

"i wake up the next mornin' in the ol' thelmyl's place and he tells me i need tah repair the damage we caused at the tavern, i ask a few things about da place, his magic, and... i may have said more shit than i remembered because the sly bastard knew that i lost mah magic... but he offers me a deal. he would gimme a place tah stay, help me get mah magic back, all in exchange of explainin' our magic."

"WHY WOULD HE WANT TO KNOW THAT?" I can sense how hard he's thinking about it. At the time, I did too.

"he wanted to try somethin' new on his forge, he's bored bein' in da same place doin' nothin'."

"WHAT ABOUT XYLSIS?" 

"do ya... remember what i said before... about bein' the judge?"

"I TAKE PRIDE IN MY EXCELLENT MEMORY."

"da day i was gonna take mah primal path, ya know, be the same kind of barbarian as thelmyl, somethin' went wrong," I hold the ship's wheel a bit firmer, "i started gettin' the magic back, but then i feel the energy of the judge," once i'm sure we are on the right course, i secure the wheel in its place, "i thought i was gonna fight the ol' dwarf or somethin', ya know, kill him as i used to underground."

I turn to my brother that is completely focused on my storytelling, I haven't seen him so invested in something I say since he refused me reading stories to him.

"imagine my surprise when the magic of the judge took over, but i feel the calm voice of a woman instead tellin' me she can guide me, gimme control over myself, sayin' that justice isn't raw energy here... it was as if she looked into my SOUL and knew everythin'... and i trusted her."

"SHE DIDN'T TELL ME WHERE YOU WERE."

"i don't know why, and i'm fuckin' mad at dat!" I grab my stuff and start walking towards the Captain's cabin, "she's plannin' somethin', i know it and i hate she's so fuckin' secretive."

"SHE'S LISTENING, YOU KNOW?"

"she better takes note of it too," I look back at Pyrus, "like ya with yer diary" I start laughing, "yer notes rised mah sugar levels."

"SAY ONE MORE WORD AND I'LL END YOU!"

"oh ya? wanna test dat out?"

"OF COURSE," What? "NOW YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH MY TRAINING ROUTINE!" 

"hell nah, i'm not gonna train with ya!" 

"COME ON, BROTHER, IT'S NOT LIKE YOUR HP IS LOW FOR YOU TO NEED SLEEP LIKE THE POCKET WIZARD." I get inside the cabin.

"whatcha know 'bout his HP?" I haven't talked to Vanilla about it yet, but if Pyrus noticed... 

"ONLY THAT HE SLEEPS TWICE AS MUCH AS YOU DO... HE MUST NEED MORE HP, BUT HE REFUSES TO TALK ABOUT IT AND I HAVEN'T FOUND THE CHANCE FOR AN ENCOUNTER."

"... pyrus, don't pull 'im into an encounter, 'kay?"

"WHY NOT? HE'S KEEPING VITAL INFORMATION FROM US, I NEED TO KNOW TO MAKE A STRATEGY!"

"i know ya like yer strategies and shit, just let 'im rest and keep a socket out on battle."

"SANS, YOU'RE NOT TELLING ME THINGS AGAIN!" Why doesn't he pick on what I'm trying to say?!

"look, pyrus, if ya put any more pressure on his SOUL, he'll fa-"

A knock on the door made me stop in the middle of the sentence.

"what?!" "WHAT?!" 

"Uhhh..." Fan-fuckin-tastic... Did she hear us? "Lunch is ready, I just wanted to let you two know that," I walk to the door and find her standing a few steps away.

**Y/N  
LV: 1  
EXP: 0  
HP: 200/200  
ATK: 95  
DEF: 125**

*** She wonders if she interrupted something.**

"i'm starvin', kitten" I walk to her and put my arm over her shoulders "whatcha made?"

I can feel Papyrus' gaze on my back and I know he wants me to talk more. But it's enough honesty for today.

At least for the two of us.

* * *

When chores were assigned after dinner, you expected to have at least one task to do. All you had as a task for the rest of the week was cooking, which left you with pretty much the rest of the day free.

So you did what any person in your position would do... inspect every nook and cranny!

Earlier, you found a key while you were cleaning the kitchen with Black to cook. You were eager to find out what it opened because no one mentioned any locked places or boxes, so maybe it was hidden.

You just wanted to entertain yourself

In the deck, Black and Blue got assigned to cleaning duty, and you had to admit they were making a wonderful job. You were sure that if they kept going, soon you'll be able to see your reflection on the floor.

You look up, and see Sans in the crow's nest, he was leaning over it looking around, when he catches your gaze, he waves and you wave back.

You turn away and go around the house and walk up the stairs and find Edge and Red talking, you interrupted them before when you knocked on their door, so it was probably better to leave them be.

You look around and deciding there's nothing that looks like a lock.

...

In the end, you didn't find a thing. You hoped that finding whatever the key opened was going to distract you before you had to talk about the fight earlier.

"what's wrong, honey prince?" you jumped a bit at Stretch's voice.

"Well... I was thinking about earlier," he frowns a bit, you sigh and sit on the table, the stew wasn't going to burn for a few seconds of talking "I know some of you don't get along, and I have no idea why you antagonize each other sometimes," you rest your head on the table and look up to him, "We need to work together and talk things out."

"i don't think everyone will want to talk things tho."

"I know that... I just... I want you all to know you can count on me, and I wish one day we can all count on each other, you know?" You lean back on the chair, "I know that you didn't get along with Edge in the beginning, but even now I can tell that you two get along better," you think for a bit about that.

It was true, they didn't get along, but somehow that changed along the way. Because they had to work together and support each other in different circumstances. 

You stand up and walk to the stove, and stir the stew.

You could talk to each of them about what was bothering them individually, they would probably open up a bit more if you did that. Tonight, you just had to address teamwork. "You gave me a wonderful idea, Stretch."

"what's your idea, honey?"

You turn around and give him a smug smile, "I know what will help us get along."

Dinner was ready, and it was going to be amazing!

* * *

"a treasure hunt?" says Sans when he looks up from the cup of tea you made for him.

"Yup," you took another sip of your coffee, "I have a mysterious key, that was meant to be found easily... I couldn't find it on my own earlier, so I thought that maybe all of us should try to find it, you know to pass the time."

"I'M IN! I'LL HELP YOU FIND IT, MAIDEN!" 

"sorry, sweetheart, but sounds like too much work fer me." You knew that getting the energetic skeletons to agree was an easy task, in fact, the three of them were already aboard the idea and calling themselves the future winner.

"Okay," you put on your best business smile, "Then I guess you're not interested in the prize..." You lean back on your chair and take a sip of your coffee.

"prize?" He leans forward, "ya didn't say anythin' about a prize."

"It's more like a bet," you set your cup on the table, "I'll grant the winner one wish, of course, it has to be something I can do, like teaching you how to use the crossbow, how to make an antitoxin, no crafting tho... I'm bad at that."

"how bad?" the bard asks.

"It has been 10 years and I can't make a single glass flower," you sigh, "Anyway... Red, are you in for the bet or not?"

"come on, kitten, ya already know where it's not, and ya have more time free than any of us, the bet isn't fair."

"True," You smile because everything was going smoothly, "Let's do this then... I look for it alone, and the rest of you can look in pairs."

"huh, 'kay, sounds interestin', heh, i'll make ya buy all mah drinks as soon as we touch land."

"Fair enough," you look at everyone else, "Now... I'll assign the pairs." You hear how they start to protest and question what you said, "I'll be only one person looking, it'll take you half of the time to look everywhere, and then I'll have to reward two of you... Unless... You think you'll lose if you are paired with the one you didn't have in mind."

"MWAHAHAH, YOU WILL SEE, DAMSEL, HOW I, THE MALEFICENT BLACK, WILL WIN THIS" he stands up proudly "IT DOES NOT MATTER WHO IS IN MY TEAM BECAUSE I WILL WIN NO MATTER WHAT."

"NOT SO FAST, BLACK! I'LL WIN THIS EASILY EVEN IF PAPY'S NOT ON MY TEAM."

"THERE WON'T BE MUCH DIFFERENCE IF I WORK WITH SOMEONE ELSE," the paladin looks at his brother, "IN FACT, IT WORKS BETTER FOR ME IF MY LAZY BROTHER IS IN ANOTHER TEAM."

"Well, since everyone agreed," you hear the laziest ones deny that, but of course, you ignored them... you couldn't miss the chance "Then... Edgey, you are with Sans!"

The paladin just frowns and the wizard shrugs.

"Princess, you are with Black."

The bard sighs, "come on, honey, let me be with my bro."

"WAIT, IF PAPY IS WITH BLACK... THEN THAT LEAVES ME WITH," the cleric and the barbarian look at each other and frown.

"hell nah, i ain't gonna look fer a thin' with toothpaste."

"But, Red... Think about the booze," you see his eye twitch a bit, "I could add cask of Obsidian mead."

"make it two and i'm game if ya're."

"Deal!" There were a few more protests but you managed to convince all of them.

And with that... Your plan was set in motion.

You just hoped that after the treasure hunt, all of them were kinder to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trivia for this chapter:
> 
> \- The MC has proficiency with Persuasion, she has a +5 on it. Black has no Charisma and he still rolled higher than the MC when I tried to make her convince him to stop the fight there!  
> Like... how the heck does that happen?
> 
> \- After Stretch used cutting words, I rolled the damage Edge would've made with that attack... Let's say that Black's HP should have been in negative numbers.
> 
> \- The species of Stretch's ghostly falcon is called... Laughing Falcon.
> 
> \- Thelmyl loves adventuring, but he wouldn't participate of a new one without his friends.
> 
> \- I want to give a name to Sans' hound and to Stretch's Falcon, if you have any ideas, please leave a comment, or join the discord server and tell me your ideas :3
> 
> P.S: I'm making polls in the Discord Server! I'll be holding polls about which characters should get inspiration for future chapters and other polls.


	24. Mind of a Thief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see how the bonding plan goes and the result of the treasure hunt!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, the title is a song, this time from the Mother 3 OST. "Mind of a Thief" was composed by Shogo Sakai.
> 
> This chapter will change PoVs a lot!
> 
> It is the first chapter I make with so many PoVs and one of the firsts that make me read each part at least twice. I want to make clear the differences and similarities between all the skeletons now that we have half of the cast here. 
> 
> Personally, it was a huge challenge and I vow to never write so many PoVs in a single chapter. It takes me way too long to write them all and with life stuff in between it takes even longer! 
> 
> I do admit I procrastinated a lot too qvq;;;
> 
> In any case, I hope you enjoy this chapter and worry not, I'll go back to updating this more frequently now that I'm done with this chapter.

**Day 1 of the Treasure Hunt.**

**Stretch's PoV.**

I had a wonderful night. I didn't have nightmares, managed to sleep the few hours I need in one go, and my bro even let me stay in bed a bit longer.

For a moment, I thought the day was going to be great.

But then the door burst open, and I changed my opinion.

"GET YOUR PELVIS OUT OF BED THIS INSTANT! WE NEED TO START LOOKING AROUND FOR THE TREASURE!"

This day was going to be awful.

But maybe if I pretended to sleep, the carmine monk would leave. 

"PEASANT! I KNOW YOU ARE NOT SLEEPING, AND EVEN IF I DO NOT NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE, I WILL NOT LET YOU CLAIM A PRIZE WITHOUT DOING ANY WORK," Black said, and I could feel him just a few steps away from the door.

It's not like I don't want to win. A prize coming from her was tempting, but I don't wanna let this tyrannic version of my bro win even more.

Besides, if another group wins, what's the worst it could happen?

_"huh, 'kay, sounds interestin', heh, i'll make ya buy all mah drinks as soon as we touch land."_

Right... the gremlin. Letting Red or Black win was a bad option. 

Still, I had the memory of her features clouded with worry and sadness fresh in my mind, and thinking about her having that look back if her idea didn't work was enough to make my SOUL ache a bit. She didn't even know I was there yesterday, not until I talked. I like that she feels she can talk to me about things, seeing her brighten up after talking to me —relying on me— was gratifying.

If I can keep her smiling, then I'll take a look or two around for the treasure. I don't have to get along with the tyrant —not like it could happen in the first place— I just need to look around for a keyhole and pay attention to my surroundings.

The rustle of the blanket that was covering me and my body getting wrapped on it snapped me out of my thoughts. The tap of the monk's heels made me realize that, yes, I was being carried around in a blanket. He could have at least wrapped me up like a taco, not like he was a burglar.

I could feel the smell of food near and hear the sounds of wood against metal, because of the smell, I could only guess that Y/N was up.

"I SEE THAT SOME OF US KNOW HOW TO KEEP A PROPER SCHEDULE," We finally come to a stop.

"Good morning to you too, Black" Her soft voice greeted, "Some of us need more sleep than others to function properly."

"ALL OF YOU LOSE TOO MUCH TIME SLEEPING, LADY Y/N." Great, Hot Topic is here too.

She laughs softly, "I agree with that, imagine all the things I could get done if I didn't need to sleep."

"SLEEP IS A CURSE, AND I HAVE PROOF OF IT, JUST LOOK AT THE JESTER" Who's the jester? "HOW CAN IT BE THAT HE IS HERE BEFORE ME BUT HE IS STILL SLEEPING?"

"Edge brought Sans with him," good to know I'm not the only one here against their will, "What's in the bag, Black?"

"your princess, honey," I reply, waving even when I know she can't see me.

I feel myself fall with a thud and the blanket falls apart, allowing me to see the surprised look on her face.

"Stretch, are you okay?!" Y/N approaches and offers me a hand. I nod and give her a smile which she doesn't hesitate to return. I'm happy that she's the first one I see after opening my sockets. She takes her time inspecting me, and after confirming I'm okay, she nods back, "Do you want to eat breakfast with us?"

"sure," I take a seat after she releases my hand, "where's my bro?"

"HE WENT TO WAKE UP, S- RED," the paladin smirks, "I'LL ENJOY NOT HAVING TO WAKE THAT INSUFFERABLE JERK A FEW DAYS."

"YOU DO NOT MAKE THE BEST JOB AT WAKING SOMEONE," the monk points out at Sans.

"THAT'S BECAUSE I DIDN'T," That's a surprise, I thought Edge wouldn't miss his chance to wake him, "I'M NOT GOING TO WASTE MY TIME WAKING HIM UP."

Y/N starts serving breakfast, she approaches Sans slowly and leaves a cup of tea in front of him and crouches, calling his name, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

If the tyrant didn't bring me here, it could've been me and not Sans the one to wake up like that.

I sigh and reach for the sugar and start pouring spoon after spoon of it in my cup in a poor attempt to sweeten my mood, but it ends up a reminder that there's no honey.

The minutes pass by as I get lost in my thoughts about how this day could've been better if it wasn't because of the monk's intrusion. I don't pay attention to what the others say, but I pay attention to her replies, laughter, sighs of relaxation, movement, and the way her eyes seem to shine brighter whenever she teases or makes a pun. 

She's more playful than she lets on most of the time, I have noticed that since the moment we met months ago.

But there was something new to this playfulness. I'm used to listening to her exchanging puns with my bro, Sans, or the gremlin, but I never see her wait for a reaction. Yet here I am, seeing how she steals a few glances at the monk every time a pun is told.

"NYAH! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE, YOUR PUNS ARE UNBEARABLE!" Edge picks up Sans by the back of his robe and lifts him "I'LL STOP YOU FROM CORRUPTING HER ANY FURTHER WITH YOUR UNSAVORY HUMOR" both get out of the kitchen.

Her stare lingers on the doorframe for a moment, kind, soft, and happy. And as much as I wish that look was directed at me all the time, I'm fond of how caring she's with her friends and family. As long as she is smiling I think I'm fine even if it's not directed at me all the time.

The sound of cups and the same voice that got me out of bed interrupts my thoughts before I'm too focused on them, "WE CANNOT LET THEM GET AHEAD," I try to move as I see the hand of the monk about to grab my arm, but he's way faster, "TIME TO GO MU-", I notice how his sockets widen and his eyelights shrink a little. He releases my arm swiftly and he turns around and begins to walk, "HURRY UP BEFORE I HAVE TO USE THE BLANKET AGAIN."

The exchange is brief, yet enough to make me wonder what was it about.

The question is, _do I want to find out?_

"I'm going to find Blue and Red, it's weird they weren't here for breakfast," she picks up the rest of the cups and dishes, giving me a cheerful smile "You should help Black if you want to win, Princess."

"what if i don't wanna win?" I ask, half-joking and half-serious. 

"Come on, Princess!" She says as she leans to look at me while putting a hand on the back of the chair I'm sitting on "Don't you wanna find out what the key opens?"

"nope," I see how her cheerful expression turns into a pout, and I can't help chuckling at her cute expression. I reach out and brush a few locks of her hair away from her face and tuck them behind her ear, her cheeks coloring a soft pink, and I rest my hand over one, "but i can help you find what the key's for."

She smiles and grabs my empty cup, "Thanks, Stretch."

I just nod and get up.

I can't take my word back now, not after that smile. 

I'll have to work with Black.

* * *

**Day 2 of the Treasure Hunt.**

**Sans' PoV.**

I was expecting this to happen again. My body is once more lifted from the bed and my robe is tossed over my skull. I have no idea what time it is, but I can tell it is as early as yesterday.

I can feel it in my bones.

Edge didn't shout or even attempt to wake me. He just entered the room, sighed, and picked me up.

I used to think Edge wasn't one to wake anyone up, but then I heard at Thelmyl's house how loud he would shout to get Red awake.

The morning was spent the same way, the only difference was that Stretch walked inside the kitchen following the monk. Blue and Red were absent again.

After breakfast, I decided to follow Edge walking. There was something off about the paladin's behavior, something in the way he moved and would stare. I could tell even without reading his SOUL. 

"ALRIGHT, SANS," he said in his raspy voice once we were in front of the ladder to the crow's nest, "OUR PLAN WILL BE THE SAME AS YESTERDAY, YOU KEEP AN EYE ON THE OTHERS FROM THERE AND LATER WE'LL LOOK ON PLACES THEY HAVEN'T SEARCHED YET."

"okay," I wanted to find out what was going on with Edge, but... I'm too tired for that now.

"YOU BETTER BE AWAKE FOR WHEN THEY CHANGE PLACES."

"sure." I'll take a break as soon as he leaves, after all, Black and Stretch are the only ones to look around now, I saw how Red and Blue stomped towards the kitchen, I'm sure I'll have an hour or something to nap.

He frowns, and I can feel his scrutinizing gaze, studying me, "I'LL FIND OUT IF YOU TAKE A NAP, POCKET WIZARD." He starts leaving and I think it's my chance to CHECK his SOUL and find out what's going on. But he stops abruptly and looks over his shoulder, "IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, YOU WON'T TRY TO CHECK MY SOUL, UNDERSTOOD?"

"what're you talking about?" I closed my eyes as soon as he stopped walking, acting as if I was still sleepy and relaxing my body as much as I can, hoping that my body language can fool him because Internally, I'm panicking.

How could he tell I was trying to do that?

Does he know why I can do that?

My thoughts are rushing through with questions, but I'm still paying attention to the Edge's reply.

"A PALADIN, AS GREAT AND TERRIBLE AS I, KNOWS WHAT YOU'RE DOING," I open my eyes and find his right eye emitting red and yellow light, "AND I HAVE MY WAYS TO TELL IF YOU'RE USING MAGIC," he gives a grim smirk. He turns around, scarf fluttering with the cold winter breeze and he speeds away.

I don't wait for him to get out of my sight when I teleport to the Crow's Nest. I can feel the sweat running down my spine.

There's no way that Edge knows I'm the Judge, right?

I know that Red is the Judge. I found out when he called me out for CHECKing his SOUL. And I can tell he went through some resets since we found the other awake after having nightmares.

Did Red tell his brother about them?

And even if he did, would that explain how Edge knew I was trying to CHECK his SOUL?

I pull the spellbook out of my robe's pocket and start reading.

A good thing about living in The Forest Sanctum was the easy access to knowledge. And for a wizard, it was like a candy store. You could just walk in and learn most spells... If you were lucky to find all you needed to write them down on your book.

I was able to find the answer and solution to most things that troubled me there.

I skip through the first pages, already knowing what I was looking for. I just wanted to confirm that my memory was right, that my current condition wasn't going to affect me more than it was already doing. The next time I turn the page, I find it.

_Detect magic._ A spell that allows the user to sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of them. The user can see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic if any. Some known users of this spell are Bards, Wizards, Sorcerers, Paladins, Rangers, and Artificers.

I haven't used the spell since I learned it in my room back at The Sanctum, and it revealed to me that most things have magic, the very air of Aklirim holds some of it and leaves a trace in things.

Since we are made of magic, how much would it reveal of monsters like us? Would it reveal the same things to a monster user as it does to another of the humanoids in Aklirim?

I feel a faint spark of excitement. There's so much to find out about this world and how it works, so much to unveil about its magic and how it affects us. 

I didn't pay attention to my hands as they kept turning the pages, I could feel sleep taking over me slowly, I rub my sockets with my clothed arm, trying to stay awake at least to see one last time if something was approaching us or if any of the other teams moved.

As I blink sleep away, my eyes wander to one of the spells on the page where my hands stopped.

I thought it was a good spell, that it could help me to find Papyrus.

_Sending._

It was supposed to allow me to send a short message to someone I'm familiar with, and that someone would be able to reply. It would be a 25-words message, but those would be 25-words I didn't hear from Papyrus in over a year.

When I used it the first time, it didn't work.

Neither did the second nor the third time, and so on.

I was longing to hear the voice of my little bro, but there was no answer.

Now, I can think of three possible reasons why it didn't work.

1) The presence of many versions of him in the same plane of existence is messing with the magic of the spell or mechanics of the world. So when I try to contact him, it doesn't know which Papyrus I'm trying to contact.

When I tried to communicate with Grillby, the spell didn't work either, which led me to number 2 and 3.

2) Papyrus and Grillby are in places where the spell _Sending_ is blocked.

That would be... unfortunate. And I don't want to think —for the umpteenth time— of reasons why they would be in a place where a harmless spell is blocked. 

And possible reason number 3 is... not healthy to think about.

I spare one glance towards the deck, It looks like the barbarian and the cleric are going to look downstairs... and the monk and the bard are looking around the deck.

Already exhausted, I sit down in the Crow's Nest and pull the hood of my robe over my head and sink in it.

My thoughts are starting to overwhelm me again. 

Well, that's my cue for a break.

* * *

**Day 3 of The Treasure Hunt.**

**Blue's PoV.**

"RED! GET DOWN HERE AND LOOK FOR THE LOCK TOO! WE HAVE LOST TWO DAYS AND A HALF ON THIS SILLY GAME OF YOURS." I shout as loud as I can.

I see how Red gets one of his hands from under his skull and... is that his middle...?

"THAT'S IT! I'M DONE WITH YOUR RUDE BEHAVIOR, I'LL LOOK FOR THE LOCK ON MY OWN!" I start walking away, not even wasting a second glance at the barbarian. He has been nothing but infuriating the past days.

He has been doing nothing for this sidequest, it's like he doesn't care about it at all. Yesterday, I thought he was finally doing something about it the moment we went downstairs, but it turned out that he was looking for a hammock. A hammock of all things!

Of all monsters, why did I have to be paired with him?

I wish all of us could get along, but he just seems to know how to get under my skin —I need to tell Sans that one later— and he clearly enjoys making me lose my patience, and I'm a very patient monster!

I see the kitchen's doorframe and I feel myself sigh, I'll see if I can help Y/N with lunch or get some clues about the place where she found the key. At least with Red doing nothing, I can spend some alone time with the Maiden.

Or so I thought.

"i'm tellin' ya, sweetheart," You've got to be kidding me... "the lock isn't in mah cabin," Why is he here?!

"Are you sure, Red?" I decide not to step inside and hide behind the wall. I'm not eavesdropping, I'm just waiting for a good moment to walk in, that's all.

I sneak a glance around the corner and find Red with his back towards the entrance, leaning on the wall, looking as the Maiden chops some crab apples, and honestly, I find myself doing the same. There's something in the way she does everything that I find fascinating and entrancing.

"yeah, i'm sure, i looked, pyrus looked, there's nothin' for that key in there." So he IS looking for the lock too.

Then why isn't he helping me look for it?!

I listen to her sigh, "I was hoping there was a clue at least, you know?" 

"ya can look there if ya wanna, kitten."

"Really? You don't mind if I do?" Red laughs a bit, and I'm not fond of that, something tells me I should step in soon.

"nah, but don't blame me if ya don't wanna leave-" I decide to enter the kitchen at that moment "-da bed's fuckin' soft."

"RED, SHE WANTS TO LOOK FOR THE KEYHOLE, SHE WON'T TRY THE BED, RIGHT MAIDEN?" 

"From 1 to 10... how soft is it?" Why is she asking that?!

"7 for ebott's surface scale, solid 9 for aklirim's" He has a softness scale?

"Well, Blue, it looks like I'll be testing the softness." I look at her dumbfounded, did she understand the scale? "How's the search going for you two by the way? You've been absent for breakfast three days in a row, I'm starting to think I'll have to ask for the casks of mead."

"toothpaste here spends the time tellin' me what to do instead of lookin' around."

"YOU WERE THE ONE DOING NOTHING!" That's why I've been trying to talk him into helping!

"let's see... i checked da captain's cabin, storage room, deck, crow's nest, kitchen... and thel's smithing room," he looks at me with a smirk and shrugs "where've ya looked at, toothpaste?"

"I'VE BEEN LOOKING AROUND TOO," I've been doing that during my cleaning duty, it just happens to be in the same places he looked and less but that doesn't matter, "MAIDEN, YESTERDAY HE FOUND A HAMMOCK AND HE STAYED ON IT INSTEAD OF LOOKING AROUND."

The Maiden stops cooking and finally looks at me, "Wait... A hammock? In the middle of winter?" 

"it's dat or teleportin' in and outta mah cabin each time," What kind of reasoning is that?

"THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE! THE PROBLEM IS THAT YOU HAVEN'T BEEN COOPERATING IN OUR SEARCH."

"well, if ya weren't tryin' to boss me around all da goddamn time, maybe, i would!" 

"I'M NOT TRYING TO BOSS ANYONE, I'M JUST TRYING TO KEEP US FROM LOOKING IN THE SAME PLACES BUT YOU DON'T LISTEN!"

"i've been listenin' but ya don't shut yer fuckin' tra-" a loud thud comes from her direction and both of us look at her while she opens a jar, she's smiling, but there's something different about it that I can't point out immediately.

"At this rate, I'll be the one to win this," she starts tip-toeing to look in the highest places of the cabinets, "And as far as I know, I won't have to buy you-" she points at Red "-any drinks."

"keep dreamin', kitten," Red just leans back against the wall with his sockets closed. I'm about to talk, but I see the Maiden press a finger against her lips.

"You two will lose time looking over and over at the same spot while I find the lock and win this game." She gives me a wink, that confirms my thoughts.

She's helping me out!

I prepare myself "I DON'T THINK SO, MAIDEN! AFTER ALL, THERE'S NO ONE BETTER TO SOLVE MYSTERIES, RIDDLES OR PUZZLES THAN THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE."

"But Blue, we aren't the only ones looking around, from what I saw yesterday, Stretch and Black have been working together quite nicely."

"what? ashtray and fruit punch?" 

"STOP CALLING PAPY LIKE THAT," I look at her "HE MAY BE MY BROTHER, BUT PAPY IS A LAZYBONES, ARE YOU SURE YOU SAW THEM WORK TOGETHER?"

"Yup, they were here making a map of the ship earlier," But Papy doesn't get along with Black, why would he work with him? "I don't know about Edge and Sans, but I'm sure they worked some routine out already."

"would've been the best thin' ever if **someone** , didn't wake me." 

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU DON'T KEEP A SLEEP SCHEDULE."

"easier said than done."

"Do you have any problems sleeping, Red?" She asks in a soft voice.

"just not a fan of dreams," he shrugs.

"BUT YOU KEEP SLEEPING EVERY TIME!"

"nuh-uh, i'm nappin'" he straightens up "there's a difference."

"THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS TIME, RED." 

"look toothpaste, if ya sleep, it's harder to wake up, you're less aware of what's around ya," Okay, I don't see where this is going, "dat and naps 're less probable tah make ya dream." Is that true?

"Uhm, Red? By any chance, do you have nightmares?" Red freezes on the spot and some beads of sweat start running down his skull. He looks like a kid caught with their hand inside the cookie jar, and I know that look from when I caught Human Chara in the act.

There's a moment of silence, and there's no reply from Red. I can sense that the question made him feel uncomfortable, and Y/N seems to have noticed too by the look in her eyes and the way she bites her bottom lip.

I can't tell how much time passes before I decide to break the awkward atmosphere.

"I WAS TOLD ONCE THAT SOME HERBS HELP TO MAKE YOU RELAX AND SLEEP" I look at the Maiden, and I can smell the aroma of chamomile, that I have grown to associate with her. 

I'm sure that it's not the fragrance of the flowers the ones that make me relax around her.

"That's true, chamomile, lemon balm, lavender, and purple passionflower are pretty popular for that," She pouts, "If I had my things back I would be able to leave something prepared for all of you before sleep."

"I'M SURE YOU'LL FIND SOME HERBS SOON, MAIDEN, BUT..." I look to the side a bit "CAN I MAKE A REQUEST?"

"Sure, what is it?" She tilts her head a bit with a small smile on her face.

"DON'T PREPARE LEMON BALM INFUSIONS," The smell of that herb just makes me remember the night when we were brought to this place. The scent is a reminder of the nightmares and being swallowed by The Void, "I DON'T LIKE IT."

She looks at me for a fraction of time and nods, "Fair enough, I'll keep it in mind," she turns around and goes back to cooking, "I've noticed that most of you have nightmares, and no one talks about them, it would be nice if the infusions can provide you some comfort." 

"most of us, kitten?" Red is frowning a bit, and I can notice he's thinking about something.

"Yeah, Sans, Blue, Stretch, and I think, you too," She places a pan over the fire, "I want you two to know that you can count on me to listen if you ever feel like talking about them, I care about all of you too much and can't help but worry sometimes. But... I know some things are hard to talk about." Her gaze isn't as bright at that moment.

It reminds me of the look she had while we were in the cave, without the fear clouding her. So I approach and hug her tight, placing a kiss on her hair.

"THANKS, MAIDEN." I notice a hand approach that ruffles her hair out of place.

"ya can talk to us if ya need to, 'kay?" Red's cheeks are slightly colored, "uh, so... lunch gonna be ready soon?"

"Yup, half an hour or something," I pull away from the hug, knowing she's busy.

"I'LL GO TELL EVERYONE TO BE HERE AROUND THAT TIME, MAIDEN."

"Okay, I'm counting on you!" She looks at us with a smile on her face, "Let's hope they didn't find anything while we were here."

"da hell they did, ya'll be cryin' when i leave ya with no gold after landin'" Red turns around and walks out.

"MAIDEN?"

"Yes, Blue?"

"THANKS FOR THE HELP." 

"You're welcome," I look at her while she cooks. I know my eyes may have changed shape by now. If she looked at me right now, if only she would meet my gaze with hers, she would find out how I feel about her.

"hey, toothpaste! we got a shitty lock tah find," The barbarian shouts from the hallway.

"I'LL SEE YOU LATER, MAIDEN!" I turn around and walk out before she has the chance to look at me.

After all, I can't have her finding out yet. 

First, I have to find out how things work for her.

I just have to be patient.

* * *

**Day 4 of The Treasure Hunt.**

**Black's PoV.**

"i'm telling you, there's nothing here," the tall and lazy skeleton shrugs.

It is the fourth day we have been searching for the place where that key belongs.

"ARE YOU SURE YOU HAVE YOUR SOCKETS OPEN?" 

"yup."

And we haven't found anything yet.

"YOU HAVE TO BE WRONG!" with a slight frown, Stretch goes back to his usual slouching posture and sighs, "THIS IS THE LAST ROOM WE HAD TO CHECK, AND IF IT IS NOT HERE THAT MEANS-"

"means that we overlooked something." 

"I WOULD ACCEPT IT IF YOU WERE THE ONE TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE," After finding him standing with his skull painted to make me think his sockets were open, I could expect him to not search thoroughly "BUT I LOOK IN EVERY ROOM AND PLACE RIGHT AFTER YOU DID!"

"we missed something, that's all," he goes to the entrance of the room, without stepping over any of the many scrolls or books that are laying around.

I clench my fists and look back at the bookcase he was looking at, not trusting that he looked on top of it closely. It looks resistant enough to keep every book on it, so I decide to climb on it. Carefully, I place my hands and feet on it, making my way up. It's not the biggest of its kind, but it's old and dusty, the room had been left that way on purpose or it had been abandoned by some reason. 

It was clear that the Dwarf wasn't the best at tidying up, —the thick layer of dust on top of the bookcase, sticking to the wood firmly as if it has become one with it made my point clear— not in his house, not here.

"see? nothing," I look to my left and find the bard looking at me with a matching frown, "you didn't have to check again."

"AND TRUST IN YOUR SLOPPY OBSERVATION SKILLS?" I jump from the bookcase and land lightly on the floor, without touching a single piece of paper, "NO THANKS," I go out of the room swiftly, and go upstairs, back to the deck.

It was almost time for us to stop searching. The winter breeze that came from the ocean was harsh in my skull, yet it was nothing compared to how living Underground was. The sight of the stars, the feeling of fresh air, and the tingling of magic was... comforting.

It makes me wonder once more if my brother is okay. I haven't heard of him since we left The Golden Peninsula. I did send a letter with one of the dwarves, and a reply should be waiting for me in The Last Stop. 

When I win this, I'll have the Damsel agree to travel through land instead.

I keep walking until I'm close enough to the rails to rest my hands on it. I grip it tight as I focus back on the task at hand.

Rus will be fine, even if he stops hearing from me, for a few months. I know that. 

I close my sockets and try to focus on the map we made. I mentally count the doors, rooms, and what we saw on each of them. 

There were a total of 18 rooms on this ship.

The Captain's cabin, a bathroom, and a smithing room.

The house area with 5 rooms, and the kitchen.

And downstairs there is another bathroom, a storage room, a library, some sort of altar room, a meeting room, what looks like a game room, a room full of mirrors, an empty room with a single metal chair and the empty one with a cannon at the front.

"BARD! WE ARE MAKING MORE MAPS," I turn around with my hands over my hip bones, "THIS TIME, YOU WILL ILLUSTRATE EVERYTHING INSIDE THE ROOMS AND WE WILL MOVE ALL THE FURNITURE AROUND."

"i'm not sure about moving things."

"NONSENSE," I start walking towards the house without sparing him a single glance, "YOU WILL CHANGE DUTIES WITH YOUR BROTHER AND WE WILL SEARCH WHILE WE CLEAN UP."

"i don't think so," his voice is soft and relaxed —it reminds me of my brother's one— yet there is a firmness to it that makes me stop and turn around, "my bro loves cleaning, and even if i agreed to help you, i'm not going to take that away from him."

"YOU REALIZE THAT WHEN WE WIN, YOU WILL BE TAKING VICTORY AWAY FROM HIM, RIGHT?" he sighs, lighting up a cigarette. 

"i do, but he knows why i'm doing this." 

"WHAT IS THE REWARD YOU ARE EXPECTING?" I don't know what I was expecting him to say, but as another tired sigh escapes him, I fan the smoke away from me with my hands.

"nothing."

"WHAT?"

"i'll ask for nothing," he shrugs, "if it's not allowed, then i'll ask about her friend that lives on the island."

"YOU ARE GOING TO USE YOUR PRIZE!" he tilts his head and I huff, "YOU CANNOT WASTE CHANCES LIKE THAT, LIFE IS NOT EASY, THE WORLD WILL NOT CARE ABOUT YOU, IT WILL MAKE THINGS DIFFICULT FOR YOU AND THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE TO SEIZE EVERY CHANCE YOU HAVE TO TAKE SOMETHING OUT OF IT," I look at him from under my hood, "I AM SURE EVERYONE ELSE WILL DO THE SAME AND USE THEIR WISH FOR SOMETHING THEY WANT SELFISHLY AND WITHOUT CARING ABOUT WHAT OTHERS WANT."

"you'll do the same, so why do you want me to use my prize?"

"BECAUSE I NEED TO WIN THIS, AND FOR THAT YOU HAVE TO WANT TO WIN THIS AS MUCH AS I DO."

"what are you gonna ask for as a prize?"

"THAT DOES NOT CONCERN YOU."

"then i'm not going to change my wish."

We stand there, in the middle of the deck, in a silent stare down, the night breeze taking the ashes of the cigarette away with it. I notice the resemblance he has with my brother. Compared to Edge, Stretch is almost like a mirror image of my brother, but the difference is clear in this situation. The bard stands up immediately for himself, while Rus... he doesn't speak unless it's to protect the interests of someone else.

Mostly mine.

I thrum my fingers on my hipbone. Stretch grew a backbone at some point, even in his fluffy and easy timeline.

"THERE IS A LETTER WAITING FOR ME AT THE LAST STOP, THAT I NEED TO RESPOND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE," I start, hoping that's enough of a reply, but when he lifts a bonebrow I know it isn't, making me grit my teeth, "IT'S A LETTER FROM MY BROTHER."

"it would be better to travel there by sea, don't you think?"

"YES, BUT A LETTER WOULD GET TO HIM EVEN FASTER THAN WE COULD ARRIVE THERE IN THIS SHIP."

"so you're going to ask her to travel there with you?"

"I AM GOING TO TELL HER TO TRAVEL WITH ME," I cross my arms, "I DO NOT CARE IF ANY OF YOU JOIN US, I HAVE TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY BROTHER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE."

"look, i'm sure your bro will be fine-"

"YOU CANNOT BE SURE OF THAT," I start pacing around, "UNLIKE THE REST OF US HE IS SPINELESS, HE CANNOT STAND BY HIMSELF, AND I NEED TO BE THERE FOR HIM," The stare of the bard follows me in every step, "HE IS CLUMSY, CANNOT KEEP A PROPER DIET OR PAY ATTENTION TO SOMEONE LONGER THAN FIFTEEN MINUTES, AND NOW THAT HE IS AN ARTIST I HAVE TO WORRY IF PEOPLE ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF HIM, HE HAS PROBLEMS SOCIALIZING, AND I AM SURE I CAUSED HALF OF HIS PROBLEMS WITH OUR LITTLE ACT TO KEEP HIM SAFE UNDERGROUND!"

I stop my pacing, realizing that at one point, I forgot I was talking to someone else.

I could still feel his gaze on me, but I didn't want to turn to face him. I didn't care about his reaction.

But deep inside, I knew I was afraid of what I would find in his expression due to the uncanny resemblance he had with the very monster I was talking about.

A hand lands on my shoulder, rattling my bones in surprise —more than I would ever admit— "you've got a lot going on there, pal," No shit, "i... didn't know you were that worried about your bro." The hand leaves my shoulder and I look straight forward.

"THAT MUTT IS LOST WITHOUT ME," I pause, scolding myself internally for calling him that way when it's not necessary, "OF COURSE, I WORRY."

There's another pause in our conversation, and I can feel myself getting sleepy. I should have been in my room now.

I take another step towards the house, determined to end this day without another word.

I didn't consider the fact the bard has to walk in the same direction.

"i won't change what i want after winning," he says matter of factly, which makes me frown. I didn't expect him to change his opinion after what I told him, the world doesn't work like that, "but i'll take this more seriously," I walk slowly until I'm behind him, "if my bro hears that i didn't help other siblings, he'll give me the lecture of a lifetime."

"YOU ARE GOING TO HELP BECAUSE OF THAT?"

He shrugs and turns around, "no," he looks at me, "if there's one thing we all have in common, is that our brother is the most important to us."

Somehow, I know that he's hiding something else, "SURE," yet I respond as if I believed that. I'm sleepier with each second that goes by and he should feel lucky that my schedule is far too important to mess it up, "I EXPECT YOU TO BE AWAKE TOMORROW ON YOUR OWN, BARD."

"okay."

...

As sleep takes over me in the safety of my room, I dare to believe in the bard's words.

I want to believe that, even after everything, Rus still feels I'm important to him.

* * *

**Day 7 of The Treasure Hunt.**

**Red's PoV.**

If someone told me a week ago that six skeletons monsters wouldn't be able to solve a puzzle, riddle or mystery, I would've made a bet and laugh all over the loser's face.

Now, I feel like someone or maybe something is messing with us.

Seven days and no clues about a keyhole!

The ship had lots of rooms, but it wasn't a big place. 

I've wanted to give up a couple of times, but Pyrus keeps being an ass and telling me that if I make it easy for him, I'll have to join his training routine.

And if he ever finds out that his _Lady Y/N_ is trying to make us work together and get along, he'll snap if I don't play along and end up making her sad.

And it's not like I wanna make Kitten sad. She's a kind woman.

Real funny too, she can make lots of puns.

Can match me drink by drink.

She's smart and strong.

...

A great match for Pyrus.

"RED, EDGE SAID THAT IF WE WANT TO LOOK FOR THE TREASURE WE HAVE TO GO NOW, OR ELSE HE'LL KEEP LOOKING AROUND WITH SANS, HURRY UP!" And, I gotta spend another afternoon with the Toothpaste, fan-fuckin'-tastic.

"vanilla! ya bettah keep a socket open there!" I shout at the top of my nonexistent lungs, knowing that the exhaustion Vanilla must be having on his condition will make it hard for him to wake up, but staying awake for a bit won't hurt him —lucky bastard, we've been letting him get all the sleep. Once he gives me the okay, I secure the wheel in its place and walk away from it.

"IS IT JUST ME OR SANS GETS LAZIER EVERY DAY?" I just shrug at Toothpaste's question. 

During all the time we've been searching for the damn keyhole, I've noticed that he's way more observant than I thought. At first, he just looks all innocent and acts like a kid hyped on sugar, but I can tell there's another side to that.

There's a thing humans said for that.

It takes a thief to catch a thief.

And, I've caught his eyelights wandering towards a certain someone at very specific moments. 

I'll use that to blackmail him someday, I can always say I'm gonna tell Pyrus about that. Of course, I won't... or else he's gonna dust me for looking too, but Toothpaste doesn't need to know that.

"OKAY, RED, TODAY I'LL CONTACT SOMEONE THAT CAN HELP US, BUT YOU HAVE TO KEEP QUIET ABOUT IT," Blue speaks with the same childish smile as always.

"whatcha talkin' 'bout?" He looks around before speaking again, this time almost whispering.

"MAYBE I CAN GET UN'JAH TO SHOW ME WHERE THE TREASURE IS." 

"nuh-uh, bad idea," I shake my head.

"IT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA!"

"toothpaste, ya know what's da problem with yer _brilliant"_ I make quotation marks to emphasize my sarcasm "idea?"

"UH, NO?"

"maybe... da fact dat i serve da goddess of motherfuckin' retribution! and pyrus is her champion and surely he'll smite us if he ever finds we didn't win fair 'n' square," I huff at the end of my explanation. Of all monsters here, she had to take us under her wing. 

And there's too much at stake to just cease the connection.

"BUT RED, SHE'S THE GODDESS OF GAMES TOO! MAYBE SHE'LL BE UP FOR THIS," he walks downstairs and I follow him, "MR. RUNEFORGED TOLD US THAT YOU ALWAYS TRIED TO CHEAT WHEN PLAYING CARDS, AND IF SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T MIND."

"huh," I didn't think about that, and acting like a goody-two-shoes isn't my style, "if boss asks, it was yer plan."

The worst thing that could happen is Boss smiting us.

"GREAT! FOLLOW ME TO THE MIRROR ROOM!" 

"da mirror room?"

"UN'JAH LIKES MIRRORS," We enter the room "I'LL START THE CONNECTION, YOUR MISSION IS TO PULL ME OUT OF IT IN CASE SOMEONE GETS NEAR."

I can feel myself smirk, "knock you out of it, got it."

"UH, YOU CAN JUST SHAKE ME A BIT," the cleric has a bit of sweat running down his face.

"uh-huh," he relaxes a bit, "not a chance." 

"I HATE YOU SO MUCH," I shrug.

"d'aww, da feelin's mutual" both of us frown, "hurry up, toothpaste."

"SHUT IT, GRE- RED." I see him pull out the locket and turn it so it's facing up as he sits on the floor crosslegged. 

The minutes go by, and nothing seems to be happening and having nothing better to do, I just lean against the door, yawning audibly to annoy Blue, but he doesn't say a word.

I just wanna win this and stop wasting my time and find at once what's the key for. 

Time keeps passing, and I'm too close to napping when a light flashes in the room. I open my sockets and find the mirrors, locket, and the cleric's sockets shining with a bright white light with the slightest hint of green. And for a moment, it's almost blinding, until it dims enough to keep the light on the mirrors and the locket.

Maybe it was a bad idea that I stayed inside the room. 

I turn around to leave, and the mirrors start making a bit of white noise. Normally, I would say " _fuck it, i'm outta here_ " and just leave, but I make the mistake to look back.

I see how the images on the mirrors change.

There's not much I can recognize in them. I see what looks like Toothpaste's version of Snowdin. It looks weirdly warmer. There's no Grillby's there. The image changes and I see orbs of light floating in a tunnel, exploding in lightning.

The images kept shifting, and the noise became deafening the more it showed.

A dark brown ship, bright in a calm ocean.

Kitten shooting her crossbows.

A cloaked figure in front of a huge torch.

A flask with a red substance on a table.

The Void.

A Brat in yellow and green stripes cooking something.

I started to move, getting closer to Blue that just seemed completely frozen and unaware of what was happening. The noise was so loud that I knew shouting wouldn't work. The images, the noise, everything was becoming disorienting.

A black cat looking monster, presenting a card.

Same Brat slashing down... Stretch.

The Brat again, dusting Blue.

The Bard in The Last Corridor.

The Cleric in The Last Corridor.

I grabbed the locket and pulled it away from Blue, and everything stopped. I was sweating and breathing as if I ran miles without stopping.

"ARE THE OTHERS AROUND?" The Cleric just looked at me as if he was completely unaware of what just happened.

Before I could even think of anything, I grabbed him by his bandana and shoved him against one of the mirrors, "blue, da fuck did ya do?!" 

His pupils were looking at me in a mix of fear and concern "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

"'bout da noise, light show 'n' fuckin' images! dat's what!" He looked at me, bones rattling. And I can feel myself about to snap and enter in a rage to get the information out of him.

"W-WHAT HAPPENED?" I look back at him, studying his face and I take a chance to read his soul.

**Sans Serif**

**LV: 1  
EXP: 0  
HP: 23/23  
ATK: 20  
DEF: 20**

*** He has no idea what's going on.**

I release my grasp on his bandana and let him slip down to the ground, and I take a few steps back.

"ya really don't know?" I ask again, even when I already know the answer.

"THAT'S WHAT I'M TELLING YOU!" He fixes his clothes and even when he's still a bit shaken, he dares to look at me, "ONE SECOND I'M TALKING TO UN'JAH WHO TELLS ME TO FOCUS ON THE TREASURE, AND THE NEXT I SEE YOU WITH MY LOCKET," I look at my other hand and find that I'm still grasping it, "I COULDN'T FIND A THING, MAYBE IF I HAD MORE TIME-"

"if ya were in mah shoes, ya would've stopped me too!" I frown when I see him shut up, "whatevah ya've been doin' messed with da mirrors 'n' showed a buncha shit."

Blue studies my face for a moment and swallows, his voice barely audible "WHAT DID YOU SEE?"

"orbs of lightnin'," he squints his eyes, "snowdin," his expression remains the same, "Kitten fightin'," he looks down as if he was remembering something, "a brat in yellow 'n' green stripes," this doesn't change his expression. 

My next words do.

"the last corridor." And it's then when his expression shifts from reflexive to scared, his pupils leaving his sockets.

The tension in the room was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

So I decided to do what I know is best for this kinda situation.

I take out of my pocket my flask and take a gulp of its content, and push it over Blue's chest, "drink."

He eyes it for a moment and grabs it, tilting it and I see his pupils appear again and he starts coughing, spilling some of the contents to the floor.

"hey! don't spit it," I take the flask away from him and close it again.

"WHAT'S THAT?" he cleans the corners of his mouth with the back of his glove and looks back at it in a bit of disgust.

"einbroch's special," I put the flask away inside my coat and pat my pocket reassuring the flask it's safe now, "it's called bloodlust, kinda like bourbon, stronger 'n' with the warmth of cœur du feu."

We stop talking again, and it's getting too awkward for my taste, so I turn to leave, because why not?

Of course, Toothpaste had other plans.

"RED?" he asks with the slight hesitation, "HOW DO YOU KNOW THE NAME OF THAT PLACE?"

I look at him over my shoulder, "what place?" he frowns, it was such a weird look on his usual happy-go-lucky face, "the last corridor?" He nods, "i think da question is... how do ya know it?"

He puts a hand over his frontal bone and frowns as if he was making an effort, "I- I DON'T KNOW..."

I don't like where this situation is going, so I take another step towards the door, "uh, maybe ya shouldn't-"

"I'VE SEEN IT IN... NIGHTMARES." The blank look is back on his face.

The door is in front of me. Not like I need it to get out, I can teleport.

I look again at the cleric and frown.

I sigh and walk towards him, placing my hand over his shoulder firmly, making him snap back out of it, his pupils back in place, "let's just go back to da search."

He glances at me and there's a bit of understanding in the way he looks, "YEAH, THE SEARCH," he walks a bit, "HOW LONG HAVE WE BEEN HERE?"

I give him a shrug, "i dunno, but boss' gonna look for us at any moment."

"GASP! WE'VE LOST TOO MUCH TIME!" He smiles again and opens the door, "WE DIDN'T MAKE ANY PROGRESS."

I tap his shoulder and shove the locket inside his socket and startle him enough to jump to the side, "told ya it was a bad idea, toothpaste."

And with those words, I teleport back to the deck and walk towards Pyrus who took over the wheel at some point.

"DID YOU FIND ANYTHING, BROTHER?" he asks without looking.

"yeah," I walk to his side and he releases the wheel without a word, "just not what we were lookin' for."

The scrutinizing frown of my bro feels welcoming now, "YOU CAN TELL ME ABOUT IT LATER."

I nod and keep looking forward, steering the wheel a bit to keep us in the right course.

* * *

**Day 9 of The Treasure Hunt.**

**Edge's PoV.**

It is the seventh night I search the whole ship.

I have a clear advantage over the others, thanks to my far superior physique, I don't need to sleep as much as them.

Still, I can't seem to find the place where the key belongs, and the possibility of it not being over the ship is something I'm starting to consider. Of course, I talked this over with Lady Y/N, and she said that if that was the case Mastersmith Thelmyl would've kept the key.

I looked around all rooms on the ship, and furniture on the ship, but there were no clues on it. 

I was sitting in the kitchen, updating my journal when the sound of a door opening followed by someone shuffling down the hall made me stop writing.

I lift my gaze toward the doorframe and see Sans passing in front of it without even looking at me.

I talked to my brother about some of the events and things we found out about the others. Having him being so helpful and sharing information with me is still foreign. The Truthheart family —Mastersmith Thelmyl included— changed things for us. We aren't as hostile or secretive as we were with each other.

Right now, our team had a potential issue with certain skeletons not talking.

The Wizard and the Cleric.

But only one was certain to give us trouble later.

Normally, I would've let Sans handled this on his own, but I knew that I would need to take matters in my own hands.

And... talk.

I got up from the chair, journal still on hand, thrumming my phalanges on it, and proceeded to walk outside. The early morning winter breeze was harsh, but nothing I couldn't stand.

I looked to my right and found Sans sitting on the floor, his back against the wall with a blank look. Like that, he's the spitting image of my brother, on the days before and after the barrier broke. 

Brother would sit in the same position with the same look. The only difference was that I found him clutching a bottle of mustard —or anything he could find— in his hand, clearly drunk or on the way to that state.

"SANS," I notice him tense as soon as I speak, "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TELL THE OTHERS WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" I figured out that there was no use in —as Lady Y/N said— beating around the bush.

"w-what do you mean?" He smiles but doesn't look towards me.

"DON'T TRY TO PLAY FOOL, POCKET WIZARD, I CAN SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU-"

"heheh, didn't know you could make puns, edge." I pause, and I'm about to say something about it but choose to continue.

I clear my throat "-YOUR LIES AND DISTRACTION TACTICS, BUT YOU CAN'T FOOL SOMEONE AS GREAT AND TERRIBLE AS ME," He looks at me briefly, and in the lack of light I notice a bit of sweat running down the side of his skull, "THAT JERK I HAVE AS A BROTHER DOES A BETTER JOB AT IT, BUT EVEN HIM HAS BEEN DEFEATED BY MY SHARPNESS OF MIND."

"i guess that's why people call you edge, right?" I shut my jaw audibly, trying not to let his abhorrent humor to distract me.

"I'M GOING TO SPARE YOU AND GIVE YOU THE CHANCE TO TELL THE OTHERS ON YOUR OWN UNLESS," I frown emphasizing my words and the seriousness of the situation "YOU PREFER I DO THAT."

"i have no idea what're you talking about," he shrugs.

"I'M TALKING ABOUT HOW YOUR SOUL IS CLOSE TO SHATTERING ON ITS OWN," I notice him flinch and his smile tenses, just to drop slowly, "YOU'LL HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT OR RISK DUSTING BEFORE WE FIND YOUR BROTHER." The sound of steps and the morning light helps me realize that the time went by faster than I thought, "WE'LL CONTINUE OUR SEARCH AS ALWAYS," I turn around "AND ABOUT THIS CONVERSATION, I WON'T REPEAT MYSELF, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED."

As I walk back inside, I can feel the heavy gaze of Sans in my back, but this time I don't call him out on it.

We have supported each other during our travels. Almost like... family.

But I'm not worried about him.

I step inside the kitchen, and I'm greeted immediately.

"Good morning, Edgey! Ready to help me with breakfast again?" She hands me a tinderbox, with the same goofy and sleepy smile of every morning.

I grab it and start a small fire in the stove, "YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO LIGHT STOVES BY YOURSELF." 

Y/N chuckles softly, "I know how to do it," she turns around and starts gathering ingredients "And I can use a little cantrip to do so, but you're good at it, that's why I let you do that."

Sans walks inside the kitchen, and she greets him with an awful pun that he returns and makes her laugh.

I know that Sans will be able to hold on until we find his brother.

The others start arriving, some of us helping around, others napping or making atrocious puns.

But I can't help worry about how long this will last...

... and about how the wizard's secret will affect her later.

* * *

**Day 12 of The Treasure Hunt.**

With each day that passed, the understanding between the party kept growing and that's exactly what you wanted, for everyone to learn how to work together. You knew some didn't think of each other as friends —at least for now— but for now, this was enough. You didn't want to risk another fight between all of you.

You also noticed how some seemed to be giving up on the search, and honestly, you were among the ones that wanted to give up.

It was the third time you walked around the ship today, talking a bit with each of the skeletons as you met them around during their tasks or searching just like you.

You liked traveling on The Barracuda, it was calming but without anything else but cooking and looking around there wasn't much to do. You tried to read some of the books in the library, but most were in languages you didn't understand. Nevertheless, you found two you were able to read, one with different plants painted on it —written in Sylvan— and the second one was a book with tips to avoid forgetting things written in Infernal.

With the second book in hand, you headed towards the small library, finding Stretch and Black looking at a parchment in silence. You approach and take a peek over Black's shoulder. It was a map drawn in black ink, with different shades of brown for each piece of furniture and object in it. 

"Sweet Merxis, is it a map of the ship?" Stretch nods in response, he had most of his attention on the map. On the other hand, the monk jumped a bit and cleared his throat, and covers your eyes with his hand.

"YOU HAVE NO AUTHORIZATION TO LOOK AT THIS MAP, DAMSEL," you take two steps back, and he turns around to look at you, "I KNOW YOU MUST BE ASTONISHED AT HOW INTELLIGENT I AM FOR COMING UP WITH THIS IDEA, BUT THIS IS NOTHING FOR SOMEONE AS MALEFICENT AS ME."

"he couldn't draw anything tho," you hear Stretch say as he leans a bit closer to the map.

Black turns to look at the tall skeleton, "I CAN DRAW PERFECTLY FINE, BARD!"

"you couldn't draw this desk on the map," the bard points a crooked rectangle on the map, "and we're seeing it from the top."

"WELL, UH, YOU HAD TO DO SOMETHING TOO, LAZY BARD!"

"Don't worry, Black, it's okay if you can't draw." You smile at him, knowing that you aren't good at crafts. You are about to ask Black if he wants you to help him with his drawings when Stretch takes the parchment and grabs your hand pulling you out of the library.

"i think i found it, honey." He was holding your hand softly, enough for you to pull away if you wanted, but after his words, you wanted to see where was he guiding you. After all, there was only one thing you were looking for.

"Are you sure? Where is it?" The two of you are back in the deck, followed closely by Black.

"HOW COULD YOU FIND IT WHEN YOU HAD YOUR SOCKETS CLOSED MOST OF THE TIME?" The monk hurries and starts walking by your side.

The Bard doesn't reply and just keeps walking until the three of you are in the same hallway that you walk by every morning, the one that leads to the rooms and the kitchen. Stretch releases your hand opens the map again. He then starts looking at the wall in front of the kitchen's doorframe.

"it has to be around here." 

"Uh, excuse me, princess... but there's nothing there, and if there was, wouldn't it lead to one of the rooms?"

"it's just..." he points to the map and slides his phalange from stern to bow "the distribution of rooms in ships is symmetric, the red gremlin mentioned it, honey."

"Huh, did he?" The barbarian tried to teach all of you more about ships, but so far, you didn't understand a lot. The sight of the ocean and sailing was something you liked, but you felt more comfortable on land, where you could feel ground under you, the earthy smell of the soil after the rain, the fresh dew falling from the leaves, and the way the colors changed every season. 

"WE WOULD HAVE NOTICED IF THE KEYHOLE WAS HERE, WE WALK THROUGH THE SAME PATH EVERY MORNING, AND I AM THE MOST PERCEPTIVE SKELETON HERE BUT I DO NOT SEE ANYTHING ON THIS WALL." You agree to some extent with what he said. 

"nyeheh heh heh," you look at Stretch who is crouching "i found it, honey." 

You immediately crouch by his side and see that he has the tip of his phalange over what looks like part of the pattern of the wood, but looking at it closer, you notice that it's in fact, a keyhole. You start patting yourself trying to find the key as you keep your gaze on the hole as if it would disappear at any moment. Excitement about what will you find behind the lock is bubbling inside you. Finally, with the key in your hand, you insert it and turn it, unlocking the mysterious place.

"should we call the others?" asks Stretch, sitting on the floor.

"I... Yeah, we should," you reply, without moving.

"WE SHOULD JUST OPEN IT AND SEE WHAT IS INSIDE, THE OTHERS CAN WAIT." You were tempted to agree with the monk and just take a peek inside, but you knew that if you didn't wait for the others you would feel bad about it later. And it would be more exciting if the big reveal was done at the same time for everyone.

"Black, you are fast, right? The fastest of our team!"

"I AM SURE I AM THE FASTEST SKELETON YOU WILL EVER SEE," You weren't sure about that, but this time, you agreed.

"I'm sure you are, but-" you place your hand on his shoulder, "-are you fast enough to gather everyone before the big reveal?"

With a slight scowl on his face and a sigh, he asks "YOU WILL NOT OPEN IT UNLESS EVERYONE IS HERE, RIGHT?" You just give him a nod, and he gets up with a low growl, mumbling while he makes his way out to fetch everyone.

You can hear the steps and the voices of everyone out on the deck, "I was starting to think we wouldn't find the place where the key belongs," you feel the bard resting his skull over your shoulder, "I'm happy you found it, Princess," you pat the top of his head and he chuckles, "So, what do you wish for?"

"hmmm... do i have to ask for something?"

"Of course! You were the one to find it, you deserve a prize."

"then... can you tell me more about yourself?"

"Huh?" You blink twice, trying to process what he asked, "What do you want to know?"

"lots of things" You lift an eyebrow, and he meets your gaze, "about your life... what brought you to aklirim," you purse your lips, "about your friends, why did you want to be an apothecary, things like that," he separates from you, "is it okay if i want to know more about you, y/n?"

"It's okay," the answer leaves your lips before you can think about it, but it doesn't surprise you. The time you've spent with Stretch alone, talking and traveling, he has always made you feel like you can open up to him, a bit easier than with the others, still, you weren't the best at bringing your past up, you were learning how to with Edge.  
"Just... it'll take me some time to tell you everything, so if there's anything specific you want to start with, you can tell me-" you hear the voices and hurried steps of the other skeletons, "-after the big reveal, okay?"

The bard nods, with the same understanding smile he has always given you, "okay, and don't push yourself, we can take things slow."

"TAKE WHAT SLOW, PAPY!?" You flinch, startled by the loud voice of the oldest skeleton.

"Holy Rageful Merxis, Blue, you scared me!" you put your dominant hand over your chest, trying to even your breathing.

"OH, I'M SORRY MAIDEN, I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT PAPY AND YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT."

"THAT DOES NOT MATTER RIGHT NOW, I BROUGHT EVERYONE SO I EXPECT TO SEE WHAT IS INSIDE NOW," the monk smirks with a hand on his hip, "AND AFTER THAT, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE REWARDS."

"i can't believe fruit punch and ashtray found it," the barbarian says with a glare, "i had everythin' planned for when we land."

"BROTHER, STOP ACTING SO PITIFUL!" Edge frowns, "THE TYRANT IS CLOSER TO THE FLOOR, HE HAD AN ADVANTAGE."

"ARE YOU CALLING ME SHORT, UNDERLING?"

"I DIDN'T BUT IT'S GOOD THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF THAT FACT, SHORT NITWIT." 

Before another word is said, you start moving the key, using it as a handle expecting to open the mysterious compartment, to no avail. You try pushing it, and a whole section sinks into the wall, about the size of a door. In your hand, you felt how the key started trying to turn, so you released it, admiring how it turned on its own. 

You stand up with the help of one of the skeletons, you don't know who exactly as your attention was fully set on the symbols that started appearing on the wall. It looked like Sylvan, but it didn't make sense to you.

"never meant to be," Sans' voice comes from behind you, "it's in elvish."

"SANS, I WAS GOING TO READ IT FOR THE MAIDEN."

Stretch is the one that reads the message in the language of the Elves. His voice held a serenity different from his usual tone. The words shine, revealing another line of symbols, this time, familiar to you, but the phrase didn't make sense, "it looks like you have to speak the language."

You had no idea that Blue and Stretch knew elvish, but this wasn't the moment to ask when did they learn it, your focus was in the new line of symbols, "Hmmm... It looks like Giant, but it's not Giant."

"that's 'cause it's dwarvish, kitten," Red is the next one to walk in front of the wall, "says 'part of this beautiful tale', so in dwarvish it would be" the barbarian clears his throat and speaks firmly, and even deeper than his usual baritone.

Another line appears on the wall, "I'm loving this kind of puzzle!" The next line was in a language you could recognize. You waste no time, your voice is soft and swift like a breeze, revealing the yet another line of symbols. You smile proudly, "That's Sylvan for 'the end gets closer', which is... really ominous."

When the next line appears, you're quick to identify the language used by Goliaths. For a moment, you consider reading it, but you prefer to give the chance to someone else.

"Alright, Edge, you can read this one." After living in The Obsidian Dynasty, you knew Edge was familiar with the language, so when you were back at the Golden Peninsula, it surprised you he couldn't read it. It turned out, he knew how to speak it, but didn't know much about the writing. But now, it was different. In the time you two could share alone, you taught him how to read the runes.

He crosses his arms and breathes in, before speaking in a firm and booming voice with a smug look on his face as soon as the next line of characters appears, "FAREWELL DEAREST FRIENDS... DID MASTERSMITH THELMYL WRITE THIS?"

"i dunno, but this ain't his style, i can tell ya that."

"Hmmm... If it wasn't uncle, maybe someone else that traveled with him was the one to make this?"

"DOES ANYONE UNDERSTAND THE NEXT PHRASE?" the moment you turned your attention to the wall, you found your view blocked by Blue who was trying to decipher the new set of symbols.

"nope, i only understand elvish today," says Sans with a shrug.

"I HAVE SEEN THE SYMBOLS BEFORE," Black speaks up, "I CAN READ IT, UNFORTUNATELY, I CANNOT SPEAK THE LANGUAGE."

From his spot on the wall, Stretch, directs his attention to the monk, "can you at least tell us what it says?" 

"NO," the bard frowned at the reply, "IT IS JUST GIBBERISH, BARD."

"Excuse me, Blue," the skeleton moves to the side with an apology, "Let's see... Oh, I know this! This is Infernal!"

"DAMSEL, THAT IS CLEARLY ABYSSAL."

"Uh, no, it is Infernal..." You frown slightly as you recall something about the script in front of you, "My friend... He said that Abyssal and Infernal share the symbols to write, but they don't write the same way. It's like what happened just now with the dwarvish."

With a click of his tongue, Black started muttering complaints about how everyone should just use their own writing, you couldn't help laughing a bit at his words, which made his attention turn back towards you, "JUST HURRY UP AND READ IT THEN, DAMSEL"

You cleared your throat and started speaking in a what sounded like a loud whisper, hissing the words as they were accompanied by the natural eerie echo of the language. It had been a long time since you spoke the language, but you weren't out of practice, all the words moved to a side of the wall, becoming a doorknob. You cheered a bit and immediately went to open the door, not paying attention to how the temperature seemed to have dropped for the skeletons once they heard you speak in such a demonic voice. And even if you noticed, it wouldn't have surprised you. 

It had the same impact for you when you heard your best friend speak it for the first time.

Behind the door, a small and tidy room was revealed. There was a small loveseat with two blankets folded on top of it. Across from the door, you noticed a window that let daylight inside. You were sure you never saw a window in that place, at least from the outside. In front of it, there was a desk with two chairs, and in the corner a dresser. 

You were going to set foot inside the room, but a hand on your shoulder stopped you. 

"THERE'S AN ABJURATION SPELL ON THE CEILING, LADY Y/N," you look behind you with a sheepish smile and thank Edge, "ONE MORE STEP AND YOU COULD'VE BEEN UNDER WHATEVER IT'S ON THE CEILING, YOU NEED TO BE MORE CAUTIOUS." 

"Sorry, I... didn't think about that," you step away from the door, "I want to check the drawers."

"DON'T WORRY, MAIDEN, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE CAN HELP YOU," the cleric moves in front of the door, his locket giving the same bright shine, and his left socket lighting in the familiar cyan sparks you saw before. Red takes a few steps away from the caster, but you didn't notice, you were focused on the magic display of the oldest skeleton. After 10 years in Aklirim, and months of traveling, you still couldn't help being amazed at displays of magic. 

When Blue raised his hand and pointed at the ceiling, you saw how the sparks got in the center of it and a click resonated inside, followed by the sound of magic dispelling and a few bright lights. Blue opened the door wide and made a motion for you to enter.

"I didn't that's how a cleric's dispel magic looks, it's pretty."

"EH? YOU KNOW THE SPELL, MAIDEN?!" You didn't look at him, because you were busy inspecting the room.

"Yes, I'm familiar with it," you grasped one of the blankets, feeling the soft material in between your fingers, distracting yourself to reveal a bit more about your magic as you promised, "I was allowed to use it months before starting my journey."

"THEN WHY DID YOU LET ME USE IT?"

"Eh? Because I like seeing you use magic, that's all." Finding nothing of interest, you finally approached the dresser and prepared yourself to open it hoping that it didn't hide any traps inside. You didn't need Edge scolding you for not listening later. 

Occupied with the contents of the dresser, you didn't notice how your skeletal friends were discussing in silence, while Blue kept the same moonstruck smile in his face, ignoring what the others said.

In the first drawer, there was nothing but knitting tools. You were surprised that the room and the contents of the drawer were so clean, not a single speck of dust was present, you were expecting at least a bit of that musty scent from things stored away. Figuring out who was the one in charge of the warding spell outside was going to be hard.

You wanted to solve this before talking with Uncle Thelmyl once you talked with Alasthor... Should you call him uncle too?

The second drawer was closed tightly.

The following drawer opened smoothly. Inside, you found different quills and inks, papers of different colors, and some leather, "Hey, Edgey, Princess, there bookbinding materials and some scribing ones too." For a second, you thought of making a new book to keep your notes on the new types of herbs you found.

Then you remembered how bad crafting went for you in general.

You should ask one of the skeletons to help you with that.

The next and last drawer had what you considered the most useful thing, you were about to reveal the contents, but three gloved hands covered your mouth.

"DAMSEL, THIS IS GOING TO BE KEPT A SECRET." 

You tried asking what Black what did he mean, but your question came out completely muffled. 

"IT'LL BE BETTER FOR EVERYONE, MAIDEN." 

You raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"WE'LL TAKE CARE OF IT TOMORROW, BUT YOU DON'T SAY A SINGLE WORD, TINY PIXIE," Edge leans and whispers in your ear, "IF S- RED GETS A WORD OF ITS CONTENTS, IT'LL DISAPPEAR AS SOON AS WE GET TO ANOTHER CITY."

You nod and point to your mouth signaling them to take their hands away. The three do as they are told, and you close the drawer. Luckily, the other skeletons in the room didn't notice the exchange the four of you just had.

"Well... There's only one drawer left, but I can't open it, it's locked." Breaking the drawer was out of the question, something fragile could be inside and you didn't want to break it, "Can someone unlock this?"

"i can break it if ya want, kitten," the barbarian says as he pulls his weapon from his back.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Red, we need to keep whatever is inside it intact, you know?"

"come on, kitten, just a lil' swin' of mah spikey friend n' we're done."

"just let him do it, honey," you turn to Stretch and look at him in disbelief, "maybe there's a spell that knocks him out."

"Can anyone else open it without breaking it?" 

In the end, none of you managed to open the drawer. The only thing you accomplished was breaking the only set of lock picks in the whole ship.

* * *

**Syrlet 1st, Year 325 A.11.**

**The Wintry Inferno of Akshoom, the Saint.**

**??? PoV.**

_"Dear brother,_

_Once again, I'm here writing another letter to you that —just like the others— I'll bind together and you'll have the most incredible book that only someone as great as me can write. A lot has happened today. Alas, not everything is as wonderful as the other days._

_But worry not, we are working together to try to solve the problem we have at hand._

_Did you notice how I said **w** **e?**_

_I hope not, or else the surprise of this letter will be utterly ruined!_

_I'll start with what happened this morning._

_As always, I woke up before sunrise, —the sun is magnificent as always, make sure to spend some time under the sunlight, it's good for our bones! I hope that you are getting more sunlight than me, wherever you are— no one could beat me in getting ready for the day._

_After all, I'm the only one living in the Chapel._

_As I previously mentioned, this building was completely abandoned and falling apart when I arrived, but after my arrival now it's looking far better, I even have guest rooms and the Tieflings have been generous with me and now I even have a small library!_

_Anyway, let me continue. I was ready for the day, I cooked a delicious breakfast with some herbs, eggs, and cheese, Emil told me they are called, Hamlets. I'm sure you'll love them, but don't you dare ruin them when I serve them to you!_

_So, I walked out, my scarf fluttering in the winter breeze as I walked to the House of Magic, and Other Planes, hopefully, they would have a task for me that day._

_I took the same route, somehow, I could feel in each step that this day was going to be incredible._

_But that also meant I was more distracted than usual, and I accidentally ended... borrowing... more things than I usually do. I returned everything as soon as I noticed my hands had something and others were kind enough to inform me about it. Tieflings are incredibly kind, I wish you could meet them, Akshoom reminds me of home._

_If you were here, I'm sure we could call this place home._

_Enough sidetracking, after returning everything, I arrived at the H.M.O.P building, everyone was rushing all over the place!_

_I asked one of the little Tieflings sages, but he ignored me, —which was incredibly rude— I kept walking until I arrived at Emil's office and I found him hiding his head under a book._

_When I asked him what happened—"_

"EXCUSE ME, THIS IS A PRIVATE LETTER," I tell the guest that was shamelessly reading my letter.

"uh, ya're readin' it out loud." A voice says from the sofa.

"I JUST WANTED TO CHECK YOUR WRITING, AND AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, IT'S NEATER THAN MY BROTHER'S AND HE'S A WRITER!"

"WELL, THANK YOU. IT TOOK ME YEARS TO GET THE FONT TO LOOK AS GREAT AS ME."

_"—Emil didn't respond, for a moment, I feared something happened to him, so I approached to lift the book, but I was stopped by his rosy tail._

_"Trick, just leave me here. I won't move from this desk." Whatever happened, had him in shock and looking quite feverish, and Tieflings are resistant to heat!_

_"I'M AFRAID YOU HAVE WORK TO DO, TIEFLING EMIL! YOU'RE THE ONE IN CHARGE OF THE INVESTIGATIONS HERE."_

_He sat immediately, straightening on his seat, "You're right, Trick, I'm in charge now," he looked inside one of the drawers, and handed me a note, "I want you to inform everyone on the island that a ship is approaching and that-" here is where he paused and I waited for him to talk, yet no word was told._

_I waited and waited, but he stopped speaking._

_He finally looked at me with his silver eyes, —I still don't get used to them— "-that The Pixie Maiden from The Obsidian Dynasty is approaching, she's a small woman with (h/l) (h/c) hair, with a soft (s/c) skin, and the gentlest and brightest (e/c) eyes..." his tail was swaying from side to side "they must guide her personally to my office, and they will be rewarded, and if she's traveling with someone, send her only with one companion."_

_"WOWIE! YOUR BEST FRIEND IS COMING FOR A VISIT?"_

_Remember when I wrote to you about Emil —It is the tenth letter I wrote to you, you can read it again meanwhile, I'll wait._

_Did you read the tenth letter?_

_Okay._

_So you already know how his best friend and he took some distance from each other. Emil may not admit it, but he cares more than he shows about the ones around him. He sorts of reminds me of you, but grumpier and tidier._

_"I have no idea why she's visiting, but I better get ready. Thanks, and I suppose you can go now Trick."_

_"ARE YOU NERVOUS ABOUT MEETING HER AGAIN?"_

_"Not at all." His tail was stiff._

_"THERE'S NO NEED TO HIDE YOUR TRUE FEELINGS IN FRONT OF ME, TIEFLING EMIL. I'M SURE THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT FOR THE TWO OF YOU THIS TIME."_

_"I said it's nothing, Patrick!"_

_"ARE YOU OKAY, TIEFLING EMIL? DID YOU FORGET MY NAME AGAIN?"_

_"No, I didn't forget it Papyrus... but it causes me trouble every time I request some papyrus scrolls."_

_After making sure his memory was intact and keeping him from calling me Patrick, he pushed me out of his office. It seems like I got over his interaction quota for the day, or maybe he wanted to keep some for the moment The Pixie Maiden arrives._

_I spent the rest of the morning informing every inhabitant of the island. It wasn't hard, considering that there are just around 97 Tieflings. Alexandria gave birth to triplets, one didn't seem to take on the Tiefling appearance of their parents, but the child is the only one that manifested fire at birth._

_I walked to the top of the mountain._

_Ran through the forest!_

_Danced near the shore!_

_And I was sprinting to return to help Emil._

_When... I found them. My guests! And they aren't any kind of guests!_

_I was walking through the market, around lunchtime, and I've told you before how busy it gets which makes it difficult to walk there, and easier to... borrow things. This time, you should have seen the surprise in my face when I realized I borrowed someone this time!_

_And not only that, this skeleton looks like a miniature version of your younger self —when times were good and the Underground was okay— I was so surprised, but seeing someone with such an uncanny resemblance to you made me so happy, I couldn't keep myself from shedding tears and hugging this skeleton._

_He started hyperventilating on my arms, and I got worried._

_But then I saw how —remember this, brother, it's important— four skeletons more appeared behind him. There were other two that resembled you, but there were two that looked like me._

_"WOWIE! ARE YOU CLONES OF MY BROTHER AND I?"_

_"THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE IS NO ONE'S CLONE!"_

_"BUT YOU LOOK LIKE ME, ONLY SHORTER AND FAR RUDER," the sharp-toothed skeleton had a mean look on his face, so I did what anyone would do if they were on my boots._

_I took them all with me to the Chapel for dinner!_

...

"I'LL PAUSE HERE, DINNER IS SMELLING QUITE DELICIOUS. I ASSURE YOU MY MUSHROOM HAMLETS WILL BE INCREDIBLE WITH THE GRATIN." No one replied to me, everyone was silent, looking me wide-socketed. They can be quite strange... first, they are talking about finding their friends, and now they are quiet.

"UH... TRICK?" 

"YES, SHORT BUT OLDER NOT BROTHER?"

"I'M BLUE, BUT... REMEMBER WE TOLD YOU WE HAD TWO MORE COMPANIONS AND WE CAN'T FIND THEM?"

"OH, YES, IT'S SAD THAT THEY'LL MISS MY WONDERFUL COOKING, BUT I, THE GREAT TRICK WILL COOK SOME FOR THEM."

"WELL... UH, HOW TO SAY THIS..." Blue was looking to the side.

"SILENT, BLUE PEST!" Wowie, I'm starting to think he's the rudest of their group, "I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S GOING ON, HELL'S KITCHEN KLEPTOMANIAC! YOU'LL TAKE ME IMMEDIATELY WHERE LADY Y/N IS OR ELSE-"

"woah, boss, calm down!" Red got in front of his brother.

"Y/N? AS IN THE PIXIE MAIDEN Y/N?"

"yes, she's one of our missing companions," said the... lazy looking skeleton that resembled me. Nyohohoh, why is there a version of someone as great as me that looks so lazy?

"WAIT, SHE'S ONE OF YOUR COMPANIONS?"

From near the window, Sans finally talked, "yeah, we need to talk to her friend's older cousin, and later we'll be on our way."

"WHAT? I THOUGHT SHE CAME HERE BECAUSE OF EMIL."

"she told me that she wanted to visit, but as soon as that's done, we'll keep going," Said the other me, smoke coming out with each word.

Is that a cigarette?!

But more importantly, "NYOHOH HOH, I THOUGHT THINGS WERE GOING TO GO FINE FOR EMIL THIS TIME AND SHE WOULD LIVE HERE."

Edge stopped for a moment, "WHY WOULD SHE LIVE HERE?"

I looked around me, and everyone had the same confused look.

"IT'S QUITE OBVIOUS WHY," they all shook their head, "THEY ARE FRIENDS, KNOW EACH OTHER A LOT," wowie, these skeletons are way denser than I expected, "AND EMIL HAS LOVED HER FOR YEARS."

"WHAT?!" Blue was the one to ask.

"YOU DIDN'T KNOW?" They shook their skulls again, "OH... SO... YOU DON'T KNOW THAT, OH."

"WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW?"

"THAT SHE'S GOING TO BE CHALLENGED BY EMIL," I smiled thinking of how happy Emil would feel, "HE'S GOING TO ASK HER TO MARRY THE WAY GOLIATHS DO."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Trick is a Thief Archetype Rogue!**
> 
> You hone your skills in the larcenous arts. Burglars, bandits, cutpurses, and other criminals typically follow this archetype, but so do rogues who prefer to think of themselves as professional treasure seekers, explorers, delvers, and investigators.  
> In addition to improving your agility and stealth, you learn skills useful for delving into ancient ruins, reading unfamiliar languages, and using magic items you normally couldn't employ.
> 
> * * *
> 
> That's right pals, the Horrortale Skelebros finally join the story!
> 
> And after so many Sanses, we have another Papyrus!
> 
> The reactions to his presence, his story, nickname, class, and other details... in Chapter 26!
> 
> Next Chapter, I'll finally be able to introduce one of my favorite NPCs!
> 
> Black won't be happy about it...
> 
> * * *
> 
> Trivia for this Chapter:
> 
> \- As the deity of Clairvoyance, Un'Jah allows his followers to experience all aspects of it, which means precognition (predict future events), retrocognition (seeing past events), and remote viewing (perceiving current events out of your normal perception range.)
> 
> \- The DC for finding the keyhole was a 19 in Perception or Investigation. I rolled for everyone but not a member of the party seemed to get that number. But Stretch saved me from thinking they would never find it with a 19 in Intelligence and a total of 23 in Perception when looking for the keyhole. He is the MVP of the chapter lol
> 
> \- The skeletons that have nightmares have never been awake at the same time.
> 
> \- The spell inside the secret room is my own homebrew spell. A spell to keep rooms clean and keep things good as new. It was just a harmless spell.
> 
> \- Trick had to make a Charisma roll to see if he scared the other skeletons. He got a nat 20. Twice.


	25. Good Luck, Bad Luck (The Fey and The Fiend: Part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon your arrival at The Wintry Inferno, Black and you get separated from the rest of the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter of one of my favorite parts of the story. I had this prepared so long ago!
> 
> The members of the discord server had the chance to decide whose PoV would be used for this chapter, and I think this is the first time they make a big decision for the story.
> 
> And as a reminder:  
> (Y/n) = Your Name.  
> (N/n) = Your nickname
> 
> This chapter is named after the song of the same name by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

**Syrlet 1st, Year 325 A.11.**

**Black's PoV**

We've been walking for a while, trying to get closer to the huge dome-like structure ahead of us. The sight would have surprised me if it wasn't for the fact that I have seen far more impressive buildings.

Another strong breeze passes by, and with it, I can see each of the weaklings pull the cloaks that are covering us closer. I refuse to do the same, the Underground I come from was colder.

Or at least that is what I keep telling myself as a gust of wind manages to pull my hood back and uncover my skull.

I hear the sound of the Damsel breathing in her hands for the umpteenth time, "Why is this place freezing so-" a sneeze interrupts her midsentence, "-much." 

"ARE YOU OKAY, MAIDEN? DO YOU WANT TO HOLD HANDS?" And there goes the cleric, and by the looks of the Damsel, I already know that she'll turn him down.

"As much as I would love to, I don't wanna take my hands out of the cloak."

"BROTHER! WEREN'T THE CLOTHES SUPPOSED TO BE COLD RESISTANT?" Huh, the Underling makes a good point.

"yup," the barbarian keeps walking, moving a tad faster in front of the Pixie.

"I'M ASKING TO KNOW WHY THEY AREN'T WORKING, YOU IMBECILE!" That is what I would like to know too.

"hell if i know, boss," he crosses his arms in the back of his head, "there's somethin' off tho."

"What is it?" the Damsel asks immediately.

"feels like da cold came from under us." My gaze shifts momentarily to the snowy ground that is covered by the footprints of the ones that walk in front of me.

"i don't know if it'll explain anything, but there's a tale about this land." The Bard is the one to intervene now, and our attention drifts to him. Hopefully, whatever he says is actually useful and not just another set up for another of his lame pranks. "it all started centuries ago with, who people call, akshoom the saint. the tale says that he believed in none, he believed in all. he never knew why he was born with such fiendish looks, why people that hurt him burst into flames, and why everyone accused him of worshipping and embracing the hellish planes and devilish creatures. rejected by saints and sinners, he had no faith, he only believed in himself and what he could do. but the people of othein couldn't accept this, and decided to exile him." The Bard goes quiet, and for a moment, I wonder if he got distracted.

"BARD GET TO THE POINT," It feels like he will keep talking forever at this rate.

He gives me a look that tells me to be patient, and I glare back at him, he sighs and continues, "the people of othein decided to exile him to the last place he wanted to be, this island. he felt compelled to it all his life, but with no other choice, he was left on the shore to die in the cold. he didn't, instead, he wandered through the land until, he found a small settlement, where others that had the same fate as him were living. all of them just like him, with no one else to believe in but themselves. a few years passed, and a holy group arrived trying to force their faith on the wicked of the island. akshoom intervened and magic surged through him, the frozen energy of this wintry inferno danced against the inner fire of his being and unlike other times, his flames froze the group. no one knows what happened that day, some say the island was alive and protecting him, others that he made a pact with a demon on this land, and for the ones that were here... they didn't care, for they saw the tiefling's repentance. akshoom built a chapel as a sign of acceptance for the belief of those who believed in some deity."

"SO THE COLD IS THE ISLAND'S MAGIC, PAPY?"

"at least that's what i could get from the tale, or maybe it was something else."

"The cold comes from what's underneath, not the island itself," She smiles proud of her knowledge of this new land, but that raises more questions, "That's what my friend told me at least."

"AND WHAT IS UNDERNEATH, DAMSEL?" I feel like we should be ready for anything that could happen.

She looks back to me and smirks, "That's classified, Black, because... I'm not supposed to know in the first place."

Just before any of us can question her further, she crashed into the barbarian's back.

"careful, sweetheart," our gaze shifts to the enormous building in front of us, "we've arrived."

She walks around Red, and even if I cannot see her face now, I am sure she is sporting one of her brightest smiles.

Unlike the walls of The Golden Peninsula, the ones here are dark as coal, with no guards and only two huge blue flames inside to each side of the entrance. We are about to cross the gate when she stops us and makes a small reverence to no one.

Or at least we thought that. Both flames change shapes and reveal two black-eyed, purplish skinned hairless tieflings whose horns form a crown over their heads.

Both speak at the same time, "We've never seen you before, yet you are aware of our customs," both inspect her from head to toes, and give an approving nod, "How delightful," they raise our gaze and inspect all of us, "It seems like your companions aren't aware of them," they look back at her again, "What a shame."

"Will that be a problem?" She asks politely.

They look at each other and shake their heads, "No, it's not." They separate and stand to the sides, "We are the Guardians of the Gate, Silence, and Speech. Welcome to The Wintry Inferno of Akshoom, the Saint."

(Y/n) tilts her head, "Huh? I thought you would cast Zone of Truth to prove my identity."

"We already know who you are, (Y/n) Truthheart, Pixie Maiden of the Obsidian Dynasty of Merxis, the Insignificant." They look at us, "We don't care about your companions' identities, your presence is enough for us to trust they will be in their best behavior."

"Okay," She replies dragging the word as long as she can, "May I know how do you know that?"

Both look confused and, for the first time, their serious facade drop and they smile at her, "Everyone knows about The Adventures of The Fey and The Fiend."

"what's that?" asks Sans.

The Damsel is pulling the hood of her cloak to cover her face, "He told everyone about that?"

"No, no. He would never do that... At least not willingly, but we are sure you can ask him the details personally," they make a motion for her to go in and turn back to their blue flame shape.

She sighs, giving up on asking more questions, and signals us to follow her.

I look and notice that everyone is unusually quiet. I would have expected the Underling, his brother, or the Blue Peasant to say a word at least. I take a glance at their faces and can see that the three have this slight frown of disgust, while the Bard and the Wizard are looking to the ground and walking a bit closer to the Maiden.

I roll my eyes and keep walking. Maybe it was their first encounter with a Tiefling that left them like that or the fact that they knew of our arrival somehow.

As soon as we are inside, the temperature seems more stable, cold but not unbearable as it was outside. I take in the buildings and notice that all of them are towers of different dimensions all from the same drab stone that the outer wall has. I look up and notice that the dome is completely open on top, allowing us to see the sky. The whole design of this place is curious.

A soft clap calls for our attention, and we all look back at the Damsel that is standing in front of us, "Okay, just like we talked back on the ship, we need a place to stay, so we will look for the inn, get some supplies and all that. Today, we rest. And tomorrow, we can go looking for my friend and ask for his cousin, we talk to my parents and we go to The Rekindled Kingdom on our ship, is that clear?"

"it was clear da first time, 'n da fifty fuckin' times, boss 'n toothpaste reminded us of it." I clench my fist, knowingly. With the preparations for our arrival here, I didn't get a chance to tell her my wish of traveling on foot. A couple of weeks on the ship were... tolerable. A month or more wasn't acceptable.

And I needed to contact Rus as soon as possible.

"DO YOU KNOW WHERE'S THE INN, MAIDEN?" What's wrong with everyone looking so uncomfortable?

"No, but... uhhh..." She pulls the hood off and crouches, touching the snow silently for a couple of minutes, "If we take the path to the East, we are bound to find... seventeen Tieflings?" She stops a bit, "Yes, seventeen that aren't moving and around thirty moving around," she gets up and cleans her hand from the snow, "There are many more, but that's the closest place with more Tieflings, it could probably be the market or some kind of business street. In any case, we can find directions there."

"THAT IS ODDLY SPECIFIC," I say as I study her reaction. And she doesn't disappoint. She doesn't even attempt to hide how her discomfort after my words. I could continue pressuring to know what she did, but I won't, at least not until she grants me my wish. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, DAMSEL? LEAD THE WAY." I say a tad more impatient than I tried to sound.

"Ah, sure, yeah," she frowns a bit and I see her cast a glance to the Underling and the Bard, both walking on each of her sides as we start moving again.

Whatever conversation the others are holding, —considering the quietness that has fallen over them since we arrived— I decide it's best to tune it out. The fact that the guards from the entrance know the Damsel and haven't questioned what a group of skeletons is doing here is concerning. I notice a few Tieflings along the way giving us friendly smiles that I find bone-chilling.

I scowl a bit as I notice how fun I could be, but I refuse to give in to idiotic behavior.

The more we walk, the more Tieflings seem to appear. We have finally reached what looks like the business street. With each step, I see some Tieflings talking amongst themselves, some speaking Common while trading, but many whispering to each other after looking at us. I can't understand anything of what they are talking about.

I just hope this part of our trip ends soon.

I don't notice I separated from the group until I hear the holy Minion speak again.

"THANK YOU FOR TELLING US THE WAY TO THE INN, TIEFLING VENDOR, YOU'VE BEEN REALLY HELPFUL." The whole group is a couple of steps away from where I'm standing, "MAIDEN, WE SHOULD HEAD THERE IMMEDIATELY."

"Yes, let's get going guys," she's about to walk away when the vendor talks again.

"I don't think you'll find anyone there, for now at least. The innkeeper has been running some errands all day but should be done with them soon," they give a smile that seems to contrast with the shine of their white eyes, "Perhaps you could look around our businesses or have a meal at the Raven's Cookshop, after all, there's nothing like a warm meal after the cold outside."

"can't disagree with dat, a meal 'n a drink sounds good." Of course, drinking, the favorite pastime of the Barbarian. Why am I not surprised?

I see them approach to where I'm standing, "PERSONALLY, I WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AROUND FIRST." I just want to have a quick look around the area and see what can I find about the location of our target so we can leave soon.

"THEN THE REST OF US WILL HEAD TO THE COOKSHOP," the Underling makes the choice, without consulting anyone, "BUT THERE WON'T BE DRINKS FOR YOU BROTHER OR ANYONE."

"what?!" I smirk at the annoyed look Red has. Serves him well.

"WHY NOT, EDGE? WE ARE IN A NEW PLACE, WE SHOULD ENJOY OUR FIRST DAY HERE, RIGHT PAPY?" 

"yeah, skullmageddon, don't be a party pooper." Whatever the Bard's deal with the Underling is, his words seem to push the right buttons.

"I'M NOT A PARTY POOPER!" he growls lowly, "WE CAN'T LOWER OUR GUARD IN NEW TERRITORY, UNDERSTAND?"

"that and red's tavern demolishing history," the wizard Peasant adds with a shrug.

"hey! i ain't the one lookin' for trouble-" I'm not staying around for their pitiful argument.

"I WILL MEET YOU BACK AT THE COOKSHOP," I start walking away, entering the first shop that I find on the way. 

It's a quiet place, which isn't strange considering it's an arts and crafts shop. It wasn't what I was hoping to find as I walked away. Crafting isn't my thing at all, that's right up Rus' alley.

I know I don't belong in a store like this, but to shake that feeling off I decide to take a look around anyways.

Maybe because I'm not used to all this... stuff, I find everything disorganized. There are flasks with different liquids inside in two counters and one shelf, pieces of fabric and leather inside a box in the corner, pencils inside a small bucket, and many rolls of paper piled up one over the other laying on the top of the shelf. Leather bounded notebooks and other things, all covered by a layer of dust.

I try to find the person in charge to complain about how untidy the place is —I won't complain about the poor light because I can see perfectly in it— when my eyelights land over the only clean place in the whole shop. It's a glass display that contains a single brush inside. I get closer to it, inspecting the brush, its unique mark emblazoned on the ferrule, and some inscriptions in the handle I couldn't read but that I found fascinating. 

Even without the whole display, I could tell this brush's quality was unparalleled.

Would Rus think the same he saw it?

Would he like it to have it?

...

Would he even accept a gift from me?

"Woah, that brush looks amazing," I was startled, but luckily I didn't jump at the voice of the Damsel, "Are you going to buy it?"

"I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE WITH THE REST OF THE PEASANTS, DAMSEL." I don't reply to her question because I have not taken a decision.

"Black, we've talked about how you call the others," as always, kind yet unwavering on the things that she believes, "We've been a team for months."

"I HAVE KNOWN YOU BARELY OVER A MONTH," the words come out of me accompanied by a frown, yet I don't take my time to acknowledge the thoughts that cross my mind to them.

"I know, but it has felt like we've known each other much longer," she gives a smile, "Maybe you won't admit it, but I know you care for them too."

I huff at her words and proceed to ignore her ~~truthful~~ statement. I look around to see if the shopkeeper is present but taking note of their absence, I start walking towards the entrance. I don't make it far enough when a hand lands on my shoulder.

"Black, aren't you going to buy the brush?" I look at her, thinking for a bit.

"NO, I DO NOT PAINT." She gives me an intelligible look and smiles.

"You don't, but the brush isn't for you, am I right?" Of all days for her to be perceptive, it had to be now. (Y/n) holds my hand and places a pouch in it, "This is your part of the money we found on the dresser. You can spend it however you want," she looks at me, "That brush is one of a kind, I'm sure your brother will treasure such a thoughtful gift." She reaches the curtain that separates the store from the exterior, "I'll wait outside." 

I stare at the pouch and open it, platinum, gold, and electrum coins lay inside. This amount of money could easily cover most of my travel expenses. I could even travel on my own with it.

...

I close it and hide the pouch under my clothes to prevent any kind of pickpocketing.

She is too trusting. I could easily run off with this and reach my brother without their help. Even when there's strength in numbers, we are being looked for as a group, separating could be a wiser strategy. 

If it wasn't because —unlike many of the monsters from my timeline— I respect loyalty, I would leave immediately.

It's not like I'm delaying meeting with my brother.

Right?

I look behind the curtain and see the Damsel waiting for me outside. The steps and the voice of the shopkeeper welcoming me to their store makes me turn around.

I smirk at their appearance, after all, I needed to exchange a couple of words with them

... 

As I walk outside, she starts rabbling about how she needs to look for some things. Pearls, feathers of owls, herbs, jewels, powdered silver, and other things.

I just walk by her side making comments and asking details on the materials we are buying.

But my mind is focused on the weight of the package in my pocket. And just for a moment, as I see her interacting with everyone, I let myself hope and believe that the brush and my presence will be a welcomed sight for the time I see my brother again.

... 

It is around an hour later, and I have noticed everyone mentions, at least once, the identity of the Damsel, and I can notice it's making her significantly uncomfortable, her smile is polite, the same one she makes whenever business is involved. The smile just doesn't seem as bright as before.

That, coupled with the willingness of every Tiefling wanting to hand the materials we are buying for free is enough to make her keep distance and refuse gently.

Maybe she isn't as gullible as I thought.

In any case, we have finished most of our business and we can regroup. Working on a strategy on how to move in this dome of a city would be wise.

"Excuse me, are you The Pixie Maiden?" A new voice from our side interrupts our walk back. Her smile grows smaller as she turns, once again, to reply.

"Uh, yes, I'm—"

"YOU SHOULD INTRODUCE YOURSELF BEFORE ADDRESSING OTHERS, PEASANT." I snap at the newest Tiefling near us. It was unnecessary to hold back my comments if we weren't trading. The Tiefling looks at me surprised and seems to stutter a bit trying to find the words to reply to me, "TELL US YOUR NAME AND WHAT DO YOU WANT SO THE DAMSEL AND I CAN PROCEED WITH OUR DAY."

"M- my name, right," his tail moves a bit of the snow behind his feet, "I- I'm Heidrick, I'm one of many sages that work in the House of Magic and Other Planes. H.M.O.P. for short. I've been sent to escort The Pixie Maiden to our faculty."

"I see..." Her gaze shifts towards me for a moment before returning to this unwise sage, "You'll have to excuse me Heidrick, but my friend and I still have some business here, if you could point us where the faculty is, we can walk there as soon as we are done with our business here."

"Oh, if you have some business to attend to, then I'll gladly wait until you two are done so we can walk to the H.M.O.P., your friend is invited too, Lady Truthheart."

"FOR A SAGE YOU DO NOT SEEM SMART ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON," I notice how the corner of her mouth curls up slightly as she tries to keep her composure, "IF YOU ARE GOING TO DEMAND SOMETHING FROM US WITHOUT GIVING US ANY INFORMATION, THEN YOU CAN KEEP WALKING AND TELL WHOEVER SENT YOU THAT IF THEY WANT US TO GO THERE, THEN HE SHOULD SEND SOMEONE THAT IS SUITED FOR THE JOB."

Heidrick's friendly expression falls for a bit as he looks at me, but he recovers from my words, "I apologize if I sounded too insistent—"

"MORE LIKE UNPOLITE AND DESPERATE, PEASANT." The Tiefling frowns at me, and the Damsel hides a smile behind her hand, "YOU CAN CONTINUE."

"—I just couldn't help but share the enthusiasm about your presence, but none of it compares to the one of Warden Cigam."

Just when I am about to speak again, I feel a hand rest on my elbow and stop me, "Warden Cigam? As in Emil Cigam?" Her voice is soft and filled with a bit of disbelief. Who is Emil Cigam?

"Yes, Warden Emil Cigam, he's the one that sent—"

"What are you waiting for Heidrick?! Lead the way!" The Tiefling nods and gives a nervous smile as he hurries through an alley.

"WHAT A TIRESOME TIEFLING," I start walking towards the cookshop, "LET US REGROUP, DAMSEL, BEFORE WE HAVE THE UNDERLING LOOKING FOR US." I hear the sounds of steps in the direction of the alley, and I see her entering it. I run and catch up to her, "DAMSEL, THE COOKSHOP IS THE OTHER WAY."

"Black, I'm sorry but I'm not going to the cookshop," she slows down a bit, "Tell the others that I'll talk to Emil and I'll be back before they know it." The _Sage_ looks back and frowns at my presence across the street, but as soon as (Y/n)'s eyes over him, he bows with a smile, inviting her to keep following him, the blue flames of the lanterns located in the rounded buildings of the fortified town flicker with his movement.

"DAMSEL, YOU SHOULD STOP BEING SO IDIOTIC AND GO BACK INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING SOMEONE YOU DO NOT KNOW," I start scolding her with my voice as low as possible, "YOU SHOULD NOT TRUST OTHERS SO EASILY."

She starts walking again, and the Tiefling disappears in the next alley, "It's true I don't know Heidrick, but any clue is a good clue at this moment," she smirks with a slight touch of playfulness, "You need to trust people a bit to get to know them, Black. It's that initial blind trust the one that can lead you to incredible things." 

"YOU WILL END UP GETTING HURT," I frown, and clench my fists, "IT IS NOT WORTH THE RISK." Her naivety would crush her, in more ways than one.

Just like it did to him.

And just like it did to me.

For a couple of minutes, I think she won't reply. We continue walking fast after Heidrick. She sighs, the playfulness now gone, and her gaze filled with kindness and a small touch of sadness, "The risk... I believe it's worth it, after all, It let me meet you and the others."

One of my steps falters, making me fall behind. I stare at her baffle, but there is no time for me to say something or even think about it. When I look forward, I notice our guide stopped. It was too late, our destination was in front of us. Heidrick was too preoccupied knocking on the gate of the wide tower in front of us, the strange shape didn't allow us to see the top.

There were no visible windows, decor, or signs, just the metal doors of the gate, and the blue flames of the lanterns that flickered with each knock.

As the uneasiness comes back, I mentally kick myself for not grabbing her and just making her go with me to the cookshop. But that would've gotten me on her bad side and she would not budge and accept my change of plans for our travel.

The gate opened, revealing a dark and small room. There was no one to be seen inside.

With a step to the side, the pushy tiefling spoke, "Lady Truthheart and-" he makes a brief pause, "-company, welcome to the House of Magic and Other Planes. Please step inside the room and wait until the gate is closed for further instructions."

There was no way in hell, I was going to step inside, but I was sure that she was going to do it anyway.

"No, thanks. I'd rather wait here, Heidrick. Uh, you can tell Emil I'm outside." Her words showed no hesitation, but her rigid posture was new to me.

"I'm afraid you'll need to walk inside, Lady Truthheart, Warden Cigam is far too busy with his research to be distracted."

"THEN I SUPPOSE HE WILL NOT MIND US LEAVING, ERRAND TIEFLING," I place a hand on (Y/n) shoulder, "YOUR INCOMPETENT BOSS CAN SEND SOMEONE ELSE FOR US ONCE HE IS DONE WITH HIS JOB."

The tiefling sighed, "I suppose I have no choice but to bother Warden Cigam during his research." He steps in the room, "Please, make yourselves at home while you wait, be it outside or indoors." With that, Heidrick is engulfed by the darkness of the room. 

"I DO NOT LIKE THAT TIEFLING." I let the cloak cover my arms, as I try to get a glimpse inside the room. I should be able to see, but there was nothing but darkness in it.

"Black!" She gets as close as she can manage, "He could be listening," the Damsel squints her eyes at the room as if she was able to tell if the Tiefling was inside, "But I understand why you don't like him."

"YOU DO?" I look at her, confused at her sudden agreement. 

She nods, the movement barely noticeable, and puts the hood of her cloak back on. We stand there for several minutes, not saying a word, I just keep pacing and she shifts her weight from one leg to the other, breathing on her hands, making white puffs appear and disappear in the air, another futile attempt to keep herself warm.

And that is the moment I take notice that the temperature dropped. I turn around, trying to get a glimpse of my surrounding but I cannot sense anyone. I just see that the lanterns in all the buildings surrounding the tower and the ones hanging on its walls are no longer burning.

"DAMSEL, WE SHOULD GO BACK, IT IS CLEAR THEY ARE NOT GOING TO COME HERE SOON." I have no intention of wasting my time any longer. There is a talk I have pending.

"Let's... let's wait five more minutes, okay? I promise we'll leave if they aren't back at that time." I roll my eyes at her.

Five minutes. I would not give them a single second, but I suppose this is the best I will get from her. "FINE, BUT WE WILL WAIT CLOSER TO THE BUILDING." I walk and lean on the gate frame. I feel the change of temperature in my bones instantly. The side that was facing the darkroom was wrapped in soothing warmth. She looks at me and I can see her hesitate, but she decides to follow my lead and takes the same position in front of me, and she gives a sigh of relief, probably at the warmth.

Good, this way I will not need to explain why the Damsel froze.

But the comforting moment of warmth coming back to our bodies fades as soon as the doors of the gate close, locking us inside the room.

A cold arm gets around mine and my hand is trapped in a tight grip.

I take my time to take in the lit room. Blue flamed lanterns were hanging in the walls of the blue carpeted room. The white walls, the mahogany door, and the golden plants gave this room a sophisticated appearance. 

I did not notice the moment when the light took over the room. And by how strongly the Damsel was holding me, she did not seem to have noticed.

I did not expect her to be scared of the dark.

The door opened, "Oh, I was just in my way to meet you outside, Lady Truthheart," the useless errand demon stood in the corner of the room, "Is everything alright?"

I try to shake her off, but her grip is deadly. I never noticed she was this strong, I was not able to move her a single centimeter. "IT IS NOT OF YOUR BUSINESS, ERRAND TIEFLING. JUST TELL US WHAT YOU WANT SO WE CAN BE ON OUR WAY OUT." The grip on my arm relaxed a bit at the sound of my voice. I squeeze her hand that is still intertwined with mine. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? WE DO NOT HAVE ALL DAY." My gaze never leaving him. There was no way I would let him out of my sight.

"Sure, guest." The sarcasm of his voice wasn't missed this time either, "Warden Cigam didn't answer the door to his office, so he must have been incredibly busy or having an epiphany in his research. I was about to ask you, Lady Truthheart," Is he trying to ignore me now? "If you would like to try talking to him or if you would prefer to come back later.

She squeezes my hand and separates from me, but without releasing my hand, "Heidrick, take us **immediately** , to Warden Cigam." I try to give her a side glance, but she's on my left side, my... blindness didn't let me see her expression, but the pale look and loud gulp the Tiefling made, she must have been livid. 

"Yes, Lady Truthheart." He stumbles as he turns around, and opens the mahogany doors, revealing a hallway full of symbols on the floor, all with different colors, the farther they got, the complicated they looked. Something tells me that Jester of a Scholar that travels with us could have understood this. The so-called sage stepped over a symbol, this one in a gradient from silver to purple. "Please, step over the symbol."

The Damsel pulled me immediately over it, and as soon as the three of us were over it, a light surrounded us.

It was not the same method I was used to, but I could recognize teleportation as soon as it happened.

The silence was left in the previous room, this enormous hall was filled with tieflings, each running from side to side. I could see others standing on the second floor, talking and pointing at pieces of paper, others running with multiple bottles in hand, maneuvering, and avoiding miraculously anyone on their path without spilling a single drop. I could feel multiple gazes over us, but none of them dared to talk to us or even approach.

Heidrick walked to the last door on the right side and stood in front of it. The Damsel stepped firm, but not as gracious as other times. Heidrick started explaining how we should knock and wait for a reply, the rules of the H.M.O.P., and other things. Luckily, I was not the only one that had enough of the useless sage, because (Y/n) just grabbed the handle and opened the door.

I could not help the look of absolute horror that plagued my face. Open books were littered everywhere. Each of them marked, and standing in the middle of the room, leaning over the dark desk, a robed tiefling with a messy bun was writing. He wasn't the tallest or strongest looking one. He did not turn around, he just looked towards the books and then made some notes.

"Be careful entering the room, and don't move the books." The tail he had wrapped around his waist untangled itself and pointed towards the errand sage, "Heidrick, you are dismissed, we will talk about your... reward later."

"Of course, Warden. is there any-"

"Don't make me repeat myself." I smile when I see the tiefling apologize and leave hurriedly. Finally, we got rid of a headache. "Please enter the room and close the door, I can't stand the cacophony outside."

The Damsel stepped inside and I followed, closing the door behind me, which locked instantly. I lifted my gaze, ready to study this warden.

"Emil! Why did you send him to look for me?!" I almost jumped at the sound of her angry voice.

He sighed, "I would do anything to get rid of him any day, but I don't wish someone a headache enough to send Heidrick towards them, (N/n)." Wait... (N/n)?

"So... you didn't send him, Emil?" The eyes of the rosy tiefling left the page he was working on, and he looked at me for a moment. The silver orbs surprised me. He seemed stressed and absolutely tired. He just studied me for a moment.

"No, I said that if anyone saw you, they should guide you here and they would be rewarded." He frowned at the door, "I didn't expect _him_ to be the one to do that." He seems to think for a moment, and his attention is on me again, "As you heard, I'm Emil Cigam, the Warden of the H.M.O.P., what should I call you?"

I lift a bonebrow, not expecting him to introduce himself, "S. Black Serif, the Skeleton, Captain of the Imperial Guard." 

"Good afternoon and welcome to The H.M.O.P., Heidrick is the only annoyance around and-" he interrupts himself when he hears the rustle of books, the Damsel was standing in front of him, the books he made clear not to move had been pushed to the side, "-(N/n)! I said not to move the books!" But she didn't listen and just wrapped her arms tightly around him, hugging him and burying her face on his chest. "Oh no, you're not doing that so soon," he started looking to the sides, trying to find something. 

His cheeks looked darker now.

Wait... was he...?

"Hello, Emil," her voice was low, and if it wasn't because the room was silent, I would have missed the tremble on her tone, "I missed you so much."

The tiefling managed to grab a book and covered his face, grabbing her shoulder and separating her with no effort, "(N/n)... Hey, don't go crying over my clothes." He looked uncomfortable as if he did not know what to do.

Well, that made two of us. 

Or so I thought.

His tail moved to her back and pushed her closer, and he tensed. His tail kept the soft pats on her back, making her cry louder.

I cannot help the low growl that escapes me, or the menacing step I give towards him. I can see how his eyebrow lifts over the edge of the book that's covering his face, and it only serves to irritate me more.

"THAT IS ENOUGH! THE TWO OF YOU, DISTANCE, WE ARE HERE ON A MISSION AND WE HAVE NO MORE TIME TO WASTE!"

"A... mission?" the Damsel separates from him with a nod, still sobbing. I cannot see his expression from the place I am, but I see how the Warden grabs the piece of paper in which he was writing and uses it to dry and clean her face.

He lowers the book enough for me to see his flushed face and awkward expression, he pats her head, and he tousles her hair, "There, there... don't cry?" For a moment, we lock gazes, and his face turns indifferent. And that seems like enough, as she starts to chuckle softly.

"Did 6 years make you forget how to comfort a friend?"

"That would imply I ever learned, (N/n)." Both stare at each other, and he gives a lopsided smirk to which she laughs as she rests her hand over his shoulder and the other cleans the rest of her tears. 

"WELL, NOW THAT YOUR LITTLE REUNION IS OVER, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT BUSINESS, _WARDEN._ " I want us out of this building as soon as possible. If the rest of her vassals are not enough to irritate me daily, this one surely earns the trophy on the task. 

He places a hand over her shoulder and pushes her softly, enough for him to walk around the desk and take a seat.

"I agree, Mr. Serif, it looks like we need to talk, but..." He looks at us and then around the room and sighs, moving one of his hands, pointing at the piles of books, and a spectral hand manifests. In the hissing echo of the Infernal language, he says a couple of words, and the hand starts moving, grabbing books and revealing from under them a pair of cushioned stools. The process repeats over a couple of minutes until the seats are in front of the desk.

It was nothing impressive. We have seen even things that are far more amusing... Yet, the Damsel is looking impressed at the ghostly hand and the tiefling.

I take a seat and cross one leg over the other, tapping my knee as she sits on the stool by my side.

The showoff Warden clasps his hands in front of his face, leaving only his eyes for us to see, "I... suppose you're not here because of my letter, am I right?"

"Your letter? What letter?" (Y/n) looks puzzled at his words.

"WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY LETTERS, WE HAVE BEEN TRAVELLING AND WE DO NOT STAY IN A LOCATION FOR LONG." He nods at my words, but he's completely focused on the Damsel.

"I... gave your father a letter, (N/n), the day I left The Obsidian Dynasty." 

"W- what? But... Dad never told me about a letter." Her voice was soft, "Are you sure you gave him a letter?"

The sound of loud tapping against the floor made her jump a bit, "It doesn't matter."

"GREAT, MOVING ON-"

"No, no, it matters!" She frowns, "You're angry!"

"I'm not angry, Pixie, I just wanted to know if this visit was related to that."

"Your tail is hitting the floor, it only does that when you're angry." He flinches a bit at her observation. What is he? A dog?

"I'm angry at your father, I tasked him with it, hoping, he would deliver it to you safely. We'll talk more about it later." His tail goes up, and he grabs it firmly, releasing it only to get it wrapped around his body again.

"Emil, you know how much I dislike when people change the topic on me," She crosses her arms, "But I know not to push you about a topic, just know I'll keep that in mind."

He frowns and nods, "Now, what is this business you speak of, Mr. Serif?"

"WE WERE SENT TO FIND ALASTHOR."

"Alasthor?" He places both hands on the desk now, tilting his head, "What do you need from my cousin?"

"Well... It's kind of a long story, Emil." She bites her lip, "I don't know where to begin."

"WE ARE WANTED CRIMINALS BECAUSE SHE AND THE BUNCH OF PEASANTS THAT FOLLOW HER DID NOT ELIMINATE THE THREATS, AND NOW AN OBSESSIVE CAT AND HIS ARMY OF LOWLIVES ARE LOOKING FOR US AND THE POTENTIAL OF A WAR IS NEAR AND WE ARE IN THE NEED OF ALLIES. WE WERE TOLD TO TALK TO ALASTHOR."

He pinches the bridge of his nose and he groans, "I don't even know if I want to hear the details."

"You'll probably end up hearing them when we talk to... Uncle Alasthor? I don't know what to call him."

"Anything but Uncle... If you ever acknowledge he's older than you, he'll boss you around," He stands up and starts pacing, grabbing a couple of books and opening them, mumbling to himself, "Alasthor isn't available for at least 4 days. You'll have to wait to talk to him." He opens a drawer on his desk, pulling out a handful of papers. He crouches under the desk, hitting his asymmetric horns against the edge, spilling the contents of the ink bottle on top of it.

"Is there a way for us to talk to him sooner, Emil?" 

"If I ever find that cursed piece of paper I was writing on, yes." He stands up and rests his hand over the ink, and the absolute horror and frustration make me smile.

I smirk, knowing perfectly where the paper was, "YOU USED THE PAPER TO DRY THE DAMSEL'S FACE FROM HER OOZINESS." I look at her, giving a disapproving frown, "THAT IS ANOTHER THING YOU WILL HAVE TO LEARN LATER, NOT TO CRY... OR AT LEAST KEEP THE GROSS FLUIDS OFF YOUR FACE."

"Hey! It's not like I can avoid it... I'm beyond happy! I just..." she smiles fondly at the miserable tiefling that was fuming over the page that he now stained with the ink of his hand, "I can't believe I'm here and seeing you again, Emil."

The tiefling blushes and nods, trying to figure out how to get out of the predicament.

"REMEMBER THAT OUR PRIORITY IS TO TALK TO ALASTHOR, NOT WITH HIS LOWER-RANKED COUSIN."

"I wish I was lower-ranked than him," the Damsel starts pulling out of her bag a couple of bottles and a piece of cloth, and takes his stained hands, rubbing the cloth on them, removing the ink of the pink skin, "There are two Wardens of the H.M.O.P., unfortunately, it's a family business." His tail sways from side to side and his evident happiness to her actions make my mood drop more.

"How come you never told me about it?" She is unaware of the effect of her actions.

"GIVE ME THAT, DAMSEL," I take the bottles and the cloth away from her and start cleaning the desk, hoping it was enough to separate them for the moment.

That and I did not want him to get ink over himself just for her to clean him up again. He looked older than her, he can clean after himself.

"The H.M.O.P. was founded after we met," he inspects his now clean hands. "There is nothing about me that you don't know, (N/n)," he thinks a bit over it, "Except what has happened over the past 6 years," he walks towards the door, "Thank you for cleaning the desk, Mr. Serif."

"YOU SHOULD HAVE CLEANED IT, NOT LET THE GUESTS BE THE ONES TO DO SO."

"I would've, eventually, but seeing that you did it, then thanking you is the right thing to do." He hesitates at the door, "I'm going to give you a tour through the facilities, any questions you have, please save them for when we are back in this room." He turns around and squints his eyes at us, "You never know when The One below could be listening."

"WHO IS THE ONE BELOW?" I suppose this has to do with what the Damsel mentioned earlier.

"I'll answer later, Mr. Serif," he opens the door, "It may be interesting for outsider creatures like you two." He walks out of the office, and immediately the voices outside stop in his presence. We follow behind him, and the door once again locks behind us. Some tieflings approach holding their hands up, but the Warden sighs and stares at the ones upstairs, "Yes, I'm out of my office." His gaze jumps to the ones approaching, "No, I'm not available for the moment and I won't be replying to any questions soon." No one moves or talks, the stares are still over us. "I want all reports over my desk in three hours!" His voice booms out, shaking some of the lamps and making the flames of the many lanterns flicker and change color for a second. And just like that, the activity in the hall comes back. 

"ARE YOUR UNDERLINGS ALWAYS THIS NOSY?" I ask as we walk down the hall, glaring at the few tieflings I find staring at us.

"No," the Warden chooses to go upstairs, "You just have the worst timing."

Dealing with the tension after his words is an easy task for me because I do not care about what this Tiefling says, but it is evident that the Damsel cares. She is making an effort to not let it affect her. 

I think we did not pay attention to half of the rooms and things the Warden showed us, but I felt it was not important. We were going to be out of this island in a couple of days, and innecessary information like this was not needed.

"Emil..." (Y/n) places a hand over his shoulder, and I am starting to notice how she keeps getting closer to him each time, to which I cannot help but frown when he does not pull away. "We can come back later, so don't push yourself to show us around if it's inconveniencing you."

"I just want to get this out of the way," he doesn't seem to notice how she looks upset by his words, "Besides, I think I could use some of that insight you have for my project," he grabs a doorknob that starts shining at the contact, making a series of sounds before he opens it.

The room turns out to be a small gallery. A variety of objects placed on cushioned pillows and tagged are sitting around on high shelves. Hats, clothing, books, nothing particularly flashy, yet there is one thing that catches my attention.

A picture book. One that I would be able to recognize anywhere.

_PEEK-A-BOO with Fluffy Bunny._

I was paralyzed in front of the book. It looked worn like it had been read a thousand times and probably more. The colors of the cover faded and the pages seemed slightly bent.

"Sweet Merxis! I never thought I would see this book in person!" The Damsel was by my side and her joyful surprised expression brought my attention to her, "Emil, where did you get this book?"

The Tiefling approached and gave a nod, "I found it in the forest over a year ago." He took it out of the case and handed it to the Damsel that brightened up at the book. "A couple of weeks after that, I found the owner too."

"Come again?" The Warden Tiefling did not repeat his words but instead took the book from her, and opened it pointing at the first page.

This _book belongs to sans & PAPYRUS._

"I almost got caught in a trap when the tallest skeleton I've ever seen appeared in front of me. I was looking around, trying to find the necromancer controlling it," his slightly annoyed expression contrasted with the soft happy moves of his tail, "But then he asked me to please walk into the trap because it was rude not to do that. Of course, I was too busy and this talking skeleton looked like he was going to be a pain to deal with, so I turned around and left the same way I came from."

"What happened then? Where is he?"

"He followed me and kept insisting that I needed to step into the trap or at least try to solve the puzzles he left around," he massaged the back of his neck as if remembering that was a pain, "And you know how things tend to go for me. I did solve the puzzles... in theory, but it seemed like disarming the puzzle wasn't a way to solve it to get through." He starts turning the pages absentmindedly, "The traps were evident, after all, when it comes to traps for intelligent creatures like me..." they look at each other, his eyes narrowing a bit.

It was as if they could communicate just like that.

I did not like it.

"DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH TRAPS?" 

"What? No, I just know someone that excelled on them," (Y/n) frowned, "But since I want us to move from this topic, let's say that the skeleton followed me around long enough to find out where I lived, insist I should at least try his puzzles. He broke into this place and I still don't know how he did it."

"Oh! He wanted to be your friend!" the Tiefling flinches a bit.

"I don't need to be reminded of that," he sighs, closing the book and leaving it back on its place, "He brought me enough trouble... Books, cooking supplies, pillows, food, and different crafting supplies started disappearing all around the island. It turned out that I guided a kleptomaniac skeleton here."

"AND HERE I WAS THINKING THAT THINGS COULD NOT GET WORSE. AS IF THE BARBARIAN WAS NOT ENOUGH, NOW THERE IS A THIEF! A LOWLIFE, FULLFLEDGED CRIMINAL." I can feel the frown on my face deepening at the mere thought of a monster like that around, "IN WHICH DUNGEON IS HE? HE NEEDS TO GET DISCIPLINED FOR GIVING MONSTERKIND SKELETONS A BAD NAME."

"He's not in the dungeons," the Warden glares at me with his unsettling silver eyes, "Unfortunately, he has an incredible set of skills that are useful to me, so I offered him a place to stay and to work for me."

"That's so nice of you, Emil." 

"THAT LACK OF DISCIPLINE IS WHAT GETS YOU UNDERLINGS LIKE THAT PATHETIC ERRAND SAGE." Unlike the Damsel who looked happy at that turn of events, I wasn't.

"It's that lack of discipline the one that keeps me from giving you a free visit to the dungeon, Mr. Serif." The Tiefling talks back, a blank expression on his face, tail wrapping and unwrapping from his waist.

"ARE YOU THREATENING ME, WARDEN?" I was not one to step down from a chance to put someone back to their place.

"Just extending an invitation in case you want to make it effective. If it was effective immediately I wouldn't mind."

"DO YOU REALLY THINK A WEAK ERUDITE LIKE YOU CAN MAKE ME GO THERE?"

"I know I can." His expression is serious, but his attempt to intimidate me is just like him. Weak.

"MWAHAHAH," I do not hold back my laughter, "YOU ARE NOT FAST ENOUGH TO CATCH THE MALEFICENT BLACK."

"A task like that will require as much brain as brawn, Mr. Serif," he shrugs, "And it seems like one of us is lacking the first."

That's when we hear a snicker and turn to (Y/n) who is covering her mouth with her hand and looking to the side. When she realizes that we are looking at her, she clears her throat, "Don't mind me, just continue with your banter." She bites her bottom lip and stares at me, and at the silence of the room, she fails at holding back her giggles. "I guess... we could say that you're a numbskull, Black."

I stare at her baffled for a moment, processing what she just did.

She is making puns.

The Tiefling Warden called me brainless, but that is obvious because I am a skeleton. I smile at the Damsel, after all, she is pointing out how dumb her friend is. Which means that she is taking my side.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," (Y/n) wipes away a fake tear, "Don't let it get under your skin, okay?" I stare at her and just nod in reply. Puns are childish and I am a grown-up skeleton, and I will not let my guard down in front of a foe. "In any case, this explains why you and the Tieflings outside didn't look surprised when looking at all of us."

The warden's left eye starts twitching, "Are you implying there are more than two skeletons?"

"I travel with six skeletons," the blank look of his face reflected his doom and I was enjoying every second of it.

"YOU SHOULD NOT FORGET THAT NOT AS MALEFICENT AS ME PAINTER BROTHER OF MINE AND THE OTHER ONE."

"I was about to mention that," she pouts, "I think I may need to tell you how I met each of the skeletons, and why we are looking for your cousin, Emil."

"I'm sure that information would save me trouble in the future, yet it's not something I would like to discuss at the moment. From what you've said so far I assume it's what got you in trouble in the first place." He turns away from us and continues walking deeper into the gallery, "I would prefer to discuss something that is more related to my investigation."

"WE HOLD NO INTEREST IN ANYTHING YOU HAVE TO TELL US-"

"After we met, (N/n), my father, mother, and Alasthor started their research on other planes. None of them were knowledgeable about the mechanics of magic and how the planes work, or how they look, but... they were desperate. They got to open a gate and reached their goal at a lower cost than expected, but we lost something bigger for the future." Cigam stays quiet and the Damsel looks at him in concern. It is the first time I don't get the urge to rush him. The silence shared enough for us to understand that whatever happened is still haunting him. "They managed to gather enough knowledge for Alasthor to found the H.M.O.P." We followed him through a hall and one flight of stairs to a darkened room, illuminated by the hugest lamp I've ever seen. It had the shape of a flame and covered at least half of the wall of the tall room we were in.

Like all the other sources of light, the hue of this one was also blue.

With a snap of his fingers, bright lamps with orange flames lit the room. Papers were littered everywhere, scratches with dried bloodstains around them marked the walls, and on the floor, several pieces —of what I could assume was broken furniture— were left behind.

Yet amid the chaotic room delicate flowers made of silk, paper, and clay surrounded the space in front of the lamp.

"Please ignore the state of the room, and just answer my questions, (Y/n)." The Damsel nodded, her gaze kept roaming the room, but just like me her attention was fully on the Tiefling, "You told me before that you didn't remember how you got here, but you still remember your world clearly, right?"

"Yes."

"If someone from Aklirim traveled or took a glimpse of your world, would they feel scared by something?"

"..." the Damsel looked at her feet, hesitation clear on her face, but she still replied, "Maybe the lack of magic in the air... and the lack of other humanoids besides humans."

"Do you have any new clues on how you got to Aklirim?"

"Not really..."

"Was there anything in between Aklirim and your plane?"

"Not that I remember..." the Tiefling sighs. Why did he want to know about The Void? Did it have anything to do with the Burglar skeleton? "Emil... I'm sorry I don't have any answers for you, but you know I have no interest in that place anymore and I don't want to go back." The Warden's tail untangles from his waist again, going limp as it lands on the ground, the unspoken disappointment of her words was evident, "But maybe my friends can give you a hand, Sans, Stretch and Red are incredibly smart and may have any clues on what you want to know."

At the words, the Tiefling just looks at her, his tail giving away how happy he was at the news, "Are you sure?"

His evident happiness was disgusting.

"It's just an idea, for now, it'll be their decision if they want to help you." She always gets out of her way trying to help others, and she gets taken advantage of. Luckily for her, I am here.

"WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO WITH THE INFORMATION THEY PROVIDE YOU?"

"Finish my project, and understand some events that happened during my absence."

"UH-HUH." He's not giving us any information, but that may have to do with what he said about The One below listening, "WHAT DO WE GET IN EXCHANGE?"

"If I finish my project, Alasthor will be available faster and I'll provide any kind of support you may need that is within my grasp."

"AND HOW DO WE KNOW WE CAN TRUST YOU?"

"Black," the Damsel puts her hand on my shoulder, "Emil is someone that always keeps his word, he would never make a deal that he can't fulfill."

"MAYBE YOU CAN TAKE HIS WORD, BUT WE DO NOT KNOW HIM AND HE IS KEEPING INFORMATION FROM US."

She looks at me and grabs my hand in both of hers, "If you can't trust in his word, then trust in mine." She gives me a reassuring smile, "If there's someone I can trust with my life out of my family and all of you, is Emil. I'm not asking you to believe in him or trust him completely, all I'm asking is that you give him a chance."

"I DO NOT GIVE CHANCES TO ANYONE." 

"Then what about me? You gave me a chance to explain myself when we met."

"THAT IS DIFFERENT, DAMSEL."

"It's not."

"IT IS," I point at the Tiefling, "BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT SECRETIVE AND EXCLUDES ME FROM YOUR TALKS."

"You're the one excluding me now." The Warden says as he holds his tail around his waist.

"SHUT UP, I AM TALKING TO THE DAMSEL NOW," I place my phalange on her forehead and she flinches a bit, "I GAVE YOU A CHANCE TO TALK BECAUSE I LIKE YOU, THAT IS WHY IT IS DIFFERENT, I WANT TO KEEP YOU BY MY SIDE."

At that moment, we are interrupted by the cracking sound the Warden's tail makes.

"Mr. Serif... What do you mean by that?"

"THAT IS HOW THINGS ARE, WARDEN, I LIKE THE DAMSEL AND SHE IS GOING TO STAY WITH ME, WHERE SHE CANNOT GET TRICKED BY ANYONE LIKE YOU. IT LOOKS LIKE SHE WILL NEED ANOTHER LESSON ON HOW TO STAY AWAY FROM TRICKSTER CREATURES THAT WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HER NAIVETY." That's right, she didn't seem to learn anything I taught her on the ship. My lectures would need to be longer and more accurate. Perhaps making a few diagrams can work.

"Black, I appreciate your concern and your worry about my safety, but I'm not as naive as you think. And again, I'm not a thing you can keep or that belongs to you, that's not how being friends work."

After her words, silence invades the room. She's the only one that is unaware of the situation.

"I see... so this is how things are..." The Warden speaks up and looks at me, and for the first time after we met, he doesn't glare at me or stares blankly, his gaze isn't unsettling... this time, I find sympathy. "Mr. Serif, I understand why you wouldn't trust me, and I prefer to be aware of it than having someone feign trust. I don't trust you either, but as someone in the same end of her obliviousness, I'm willing to work with you."

"DO NOT COMPARE SOMEONE AS MALEFICENT AS ME TO THE LIKES OF YOU," I was way different from the Warden. Unlike him and all the cowardly skeletons that traveled with us, I was the only one that had my feelings clear and made her aware of them. "SO GET THE IDEA THAT WE ARE SIMILAR OUT OF YOUR HEAD. I DO HAVE TO AGREE THAT SHE LACKS AWARENESS OF THE SITUATIONS AROUND HER AND THE MEANING OF WHAT SHE IS TOLD. IF SHE KEEPS INSISTING ON WORKING WITH YOU, I WILL HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO WORK WITH YOU SO YOU DO NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HER."

"Eh? Wait... why would you two be similar?"

"WE ARE NOT SIMILAR, DAMSEL. UNLIKE HIM, I AM NOT A SPINELESS COWARD." (Y/n) starts giggling a bit.

Wait, what did I say?

"Hey, Emil... Black has a bone to pick with you." I hide my mouth behind my hands, trying to keep the laughter that was about to escape me in.

"Uh... why would he need me for that? I'm sure your companions can help with that." Wait, he didn't get it?

"Oh no, Emil. I'm so sorry, I would knee to explain the joke to you, but then it wouldn't be as funny." Her puns were okay, but what made me finally lose it was how lost the Tiefling was to her humor. She bursts in giggles full of joy, the tension that had been following us melting a bit. 

* * *

After more puns, and having a tour around the whole facility, we finally made our way back to the office where the Warden had been working. Food was brought inside the room at some point during our absence, four sandwiches with cheese, meat, mushrooms, and onions, along with a big jar of fruits in syrup. A note rested over the meal, I didn't get a chance to read it before the Tiefling did.

"Trick must've come back at some point..." the Warden folds the note and leaves it inside a drawer of his desk, grabbing a sandwich afterward, "Please, eat. I can't eat all of this and Trick doesn't tolerate wasting food."

"Who is Trick?" the Damsel grabs the sandwich without hesitation, not even thinking if it could be poisoned or anything.

"The skeleton that works for me... His name gave me too much trouble while asking for papyrus scrolls."

"His name is Papyrus?!" So... another of my brother's lookalikes "How does he look like? Is he nice?"

"He's tall enough to be a Goliath, looks intimidating, has crooked teeth, too much energy, and a talent for cooking, using magic items and stealing. He writes letters to his brother... If you ever find a skeleton with a huge hole on his skull, tell him that his brother is here and to please take him back." 

"He sounds... not like the Papyrus I was hoping for."

"IF HE IS NOT THE SCHOLAR'S BROTHER, THAT MEANS WE HAVE OTHER TWO SIBLINGS AND ANOTHER UNIVERSE TO ADD TO OUR LIST."

The Tiefling stops eating, "Another universe?"

"Yup, uhhh... Black, a little help to explain this?"

"THERE ARE MULTIPLE VERSIONS OF THE SAME WORLD, WITH THE SAME CREATURES BUT WITH DIFFERENT EVENTS. THE SKELETONS THAT TRAVEL WITH US, THE WIZARD, BARBARIAN, AND CLERIC ARE, UNFORTUNATELY, LESSER VERSIONS OF MYSELF. MY NAME IS SANS, BUT TO AVOID CONFUSIONS, WE GO WITH OTHER NAMES."

"What he said. This Papyrus you know, is not the only Papyrus, but he comes from a different plane than the rest of the skeletons."

"That's interesting. This means the experiences they had traveling here are different." He smirks for a moment, "If I could get them to help me, maybe we could fix the fissure of this plane, and—"

"WARDEN, EXPLAIN TO US ABOUT THAT FISSURE, AND MAKE IT QUICK, WE DO NOT HAVE ALL DAY."

The Warden stops his mumbling, "Would it be right for me to explain even without knowing all the details?"

"I'm interested in what's going on too, you have been cryptic since the moment we arrived. Just do your best and explain as much as you can. I know Black seems to antagonize you, but he is honorable and—" the Damsel looks at me and squints her eyes "—you can trust that he won't cause any trouble or say anything about this outside."

The Warden studies both of us for a couple of minutes, finally deciding to stop eating his meal, leaving the unfinished sandwich over the table. He opens another drawer and stands up, holding a folded piece of fabric colored in black, white, blue, and some traces of green. He grabs it in front of him and it unfolds, revealing a cape that looked similar to the spread wings of a bird. The Warden takes his time dressing in it, securing it to the robe he was wearing. He moves his hands and starts speaking in a language I can't recognize, his voice is melodic and ethereal. 

He stops and looks all over the room and us. Then he resumes his chanting and the movements of his hands, repeating his actions. The cape shone with a gentle light.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I knew he was casting some magic, I could feel it, but I wanted to know what kind.

He sits once again on his chair, "Just casting some detection spells... I don't want anyone to listen to what I'm about to tell you, my knowledge of the events is limited, but enough for The One below to take advantage of it." He makes a motion for us to get closer, which (Y/n) follows immediately, leaning over the desk. Unlike them, my hearing is perfect, so I stay in the same position.

"So, what's going on, Emil?" The Damsel is whispering as if she was aware of the nature of the situation.

"The One below, Gho'mie, has been acting up again." His voice is lower than before too.

"WHO IS GHO'MIE?" I ask, whoever they were if it got both of them like this and this amount of paranoia around them, then it was wiser to be discreet about this.

"Gho'mie is... the cause of the cold, a manipulator of the weakminded, The Harbinger of Exhaustion, the embodiment of False Peace, Envy and Morbid Curiosity, a demonic ape... One of the most powerful fiends," He pauses, "And my grandparent." After my time in the Golden Peninsula, I knew that Tiefings descended of demons and other fiends, but this was my first time hearing of a second-generation one. 

I knew we shouldn't trust him.

"Don't judge me because of the decisions my grandfather took, skeleton, I'm just the offspring of a bad decision," his tail starts moving behind him, "My parents and Alasthor's father worked together in hopes of sealing Gho'mie and end our family's curse as soon as possible, but... Gho'mie killed my uncle, and mother was the only one to restrain their influence and... I was sent to The Obsidian Dynasty." The haunted look he had intensified, he didn't want to go into details. If it wasn't because (Y/n) was about to cry and start oozing all over, I would have demanded details.

For now, I would let it slide.

"When I came back... I got the news that Gho'mie had been sealed, but... Gho'mie took control over my mother and my father sacrificed so she could regain control. Once she came back to her senses, Alasthor and mother sealed them in another plane, yet something went wrong. Mother lost most of her sanity and had to be sealed in a frozen fire."

"You mean-" 

"The room with the frozen fire I showed you before is where all of it happened, and where mother is resting. She is conscious, and she'll recover, we don't know when, but we know she will." He crosses his arms over the table, "It happened years ago, and we were sure that Gho'mie's influence was gone, but every year during Syrlet's month, the influence of Gho'mie becomes stronger. Tieflings know things they shouldn't, the research of the H.M.O.P. gets slower, some of our researchers propose gruesome experiments, and others start sabotaging their works." He breathes in, "This year, nothing has happened... But the presence is stronger and a fissure appeared where the portal to the other plane was opened, Alasthor is keeping it from opening more at the moment, and I was supposed to find a way to repair the rift. I don't know what is the deal with skeletons like you, but Gho'mie doesn't seem to be able to influence them. If I can get your help, we could deal with Gho'mie faster than we thought."

"AND THAT WOULD MEAN WE CAN LEAVE FASTER." If the situation was like that, then it would take just a bit of persuasion for the others to be convinced and we could leave this blasted place behind. But something was worrying me.

"Emil, what about you? Are you safe from the influence?" Not only Tieflings are more susceptible to the words of fiends, but this one is a descendant of the one we have to deal with.

"My family is the one that is always kept under Gho'mie's influence, but thanks to my days on The Obsidian Dynasty, I was able to find a way to fight it. Gho'mie can try to make me fall into temptation, but it's a battle that they'll lose every single time." 

"NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY, WE WILL NOT LOWER OUR GUARD AROUND YOU."

"Fair enough. In fact, I prefer it that way."

"I WILL NOT HESITATE TO END YOUR PITIFUL EXISTENCE IF NECESSARY."

"Be my guest, but make sure to have someone competent to help you."

"Guys, please don't start again," (Y/n) was looking at her hands, thinking, planning. She always seems to have a plan ready, "Let's finish our lunch, after that, Black and I will leave and meet the rest of our group and return with them so you can explain the situation." She sighs and starts eating again, "You need to improve your storytelling, you go straight to the facts."

"I want to go back to my research, I'm behind my schedule because of you."

"WHAT A COINCIDENCE, WE DID NOT HAVE TIME FOR YOU TODAY, YET HERE WE ARE."

"Okay, okay. I get it, you're both pretty. Now, can you please keep this passive-aggressive attitude for whenever I'm not around?"

"Yes." 

"Emil Cigam... I don't know the Zone of Truth spell but even like that I can tell you're lying." 

"Good for you, (Y/n) Truthheart." 

"AT LEAST TRY TO DENY YOU ARE LYING."

"No. I already talked more than I have in weeks."

"You still like silence that much, don't you?" She gives him a small smile, and he just nods in response, "You're still the same Emil I met. It makes me feel like we weren't that apart for so long... But that won't keep you from telling me why you left."

"I know."

"Good..." 

We finished the rest of our meal in silence —I hate to admit it, but the simple lunch tastes better than I could expect from a burglar— the two of them exchanging words and talking about things they did in the past. Or at least her talking about it with just two or three words from the Tiefling.

From what I've learned, they got trained by the Damsel's mother, he used to live in the Truthheart's household during his stay, he was the target of multiple pranks from Eggath and... 

I have no idea about the rest.

One moment they were talking in Common... the next they started speaking in Infernal. And then they changed it again and started talking in Giant.

What am I supposed to say if I can't understand anything? And they were being all friendly with each other.

And the wagging tail of the Warden and his evident happiness was utterly disgusting.

But what could I say? I needed something to get them to stop talking and make us leave soon but what could-

_"Uh-huh, but seeing as he is Alasthor's little cousin, tell him I say hi and that I told him."_

_"Told him, what?"_

_"Just tell him My dad says hi and that he told you nothing else, okay?"_

_"made a good prank, eggath?" Asked the Bard curious._

_"Yes! The kind you give them a heads up, but they still fall on it."_

That's it... The prank, the message of her father!

As soon as they had a pause in their talk, I knew it was my chance. "DAMSEL, YOUR FATHER SAID YOU NEEDED TO GIVE THIS TIEFLING A MESSAGE." 

"Oh, that's right!" she clears her throat, "Emil, dad says _Hi_ and _I told you._ I don't know what he meant with that but... that's it."

The happy movements of his tail stopped. And his relaxed happy expression was gone.

"I see." What? That's it?!

"Do you know what he meant by it?"

"No." He's lying again. He's not even good at it.

"YOU ARE NOT GOOD AT LYING."

"I'm aware of it." He has the nerve to admit it so easily.

"I get it... another thing you don't want to talk about. Fine. Add it to your pending list of things you have to tell me." The Damsel got up from her seat, pouting, "Black and I will leave now, we'll come back tomorrow... Or if you need us earlier, you can send a message or something."

"Go to the Chapel and find Trick, he has clearance to open the gates."

"YOU BETTER BE AWAKE WHEN WE SHOW UP, WE WILL BE HEAR AT FIRST TIME IN THE MORNING, WARDEN."

"Bold of you to assume I sleep, Black Serif."

"Emil, if I come back tomorrow and you didn't get at least 5 hours of sleep, I'm going to be mad at you." 

"And if you don't get out now, I'll be getting less time to sleep, so... out." He walks to the door and motions a Tiefling that was reading to approach, "Show The Pixie Maiden and her companion the way to the exit. And after that, remind everyone to bring their reports."

"Of course, Warden Cigam! I'll take care of everything."

And with that, the Warden gave us a nod and closed the door. 

"DAMSEL, YOUR FRIEND LACKS MANNERS AND SEEMS LIKE A BAD INFLUENCE FOR YOU." It's the first thing I say after getting rid of his presence.

"He just needs time to warm up to others, but he'll still prefer silence over talking."

"HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE HIM TO WARM UP?" We start following the silent Tiefling absentmindedly.

"... It took me half a year for him to greet me in the mornings."

We followed the one Tiefling to a different symbol than the one we came from. She continued to talk about how she got him to talk to her. Of course, I wasn't listening to what she told me about him, but I was paying attention to her expressions and the way her voice changed.

I was focused on her so when we reached a different destination through the magic symbol, I didn't notice we weren't in the entrance.

And I didn't notice anything else before a sharp pain went through my skull and I was left unconscious.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! So that's it for Chapter 25!  
> I had to write like a quart of the chapter because there was one part I didn't like :/  
> But all in all... here we are! All done uwu
> 
> With the chapter out of the way, I want to take my time to recommend two fanfics by one of the Aklirim Campaign players, VenomousKilljoy. If you like Underswap and songfics, please read:
> 
> [History Maker](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25975750/chapters/63148219)
> 
> [Do You Hear the People Sing?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25846237)
> 
> Trivia about this chapter:
> 
> \- Depending on the skeleton that went with the MC on this chapter, we would've known more or fewer things about Emil, but it would have ended in the same way.
> 
> \- This is a character development arc for most of the party. The bond of The Ivory Brotherhood improved during Chapter 24, this turn of events will affect the balance the party reached before.
> 
> \- The song I was listening to write this chapter suits Emil. He's one unlucky lad. The ink thing is just the beginning.
> 
> \- I know there's one detail that seems inconsistent, but trust me, I noticed and it will be explained sooner than you think... or maybe not that soon with my irregular update schedule TvT
> 
> \- Gho'mie's concept was thought carefully. I wanted a different looking fiend from the typical goat/bull like demons, and when I started to think about a concept for them, I remembered the idiom "Having a Monkey on your back" which is used for addictions or when you have a big problem. I feel like False Peace is a dangerous thing, it can be the kind we get from running away from difficult situations or from staying in our comfort zone. It is addictive and it gives us peace and makes us feel safe... But what happens when we can't run away anymore? With that in mind and my own personal experiences, Gho'mie came to exist. We will see more about them later.

**Author's Note:**

> For more AklirimTale or Aklirim related content visit the [Tumblr.](http://aklirimtale-au.tumblr.com/)
> 
> To talk with other fans of Undertale, AklirimTale, or Dungeons & Dragons, join the [server!](https://discord.com/invite/v4RU3yZ)
> 
> See ya next time!


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